Two Palestinian Authority Arabs from the town of Akraba, east of Shechem, were killed by gunfire Monday evening following an attack on Jewish shepherds from a farm near the Jordan Valley community of Gitit.
This is the second such attack this week.
During the attack, a group of Palestinian Authority Arabs gathered at the site, prompting both sides to throw rocks at each other, according to local reports.
Israeli military forces who arrived at the scene and tried to sort out the situation were then confronted by a second group of Arabs from a nearby village.
Two of the Arab rioters were killed when Israeli soldiers allegedly opened fire in response to rocks hurled at them from “point blank range.”
The incident is under investigation, the IDF said.
Attacks on Jewish shepherds are not new, but the incidence of such attacks is on the rise.
Three days ago, 14-year-old Binyamin Achimeir, a Jewish shepherd from the community of Malachei HaShalom, was murdered by Arab terrorists while grazing his flock.
His community was alerted after the sheep arrived home later in the day without him, prompting a massive search for the boy that ended with the tragic discovery of his body not far from home.
