Photo Credit: Baz / Twitter
Flames consume a vehicle parked in front of a home in Turmus Ayya, where Jewish rioters rampaged in response to a deadly terrorist attack that left four Israelis dead and four others wounded outside the nearby Jewish town of Eli.

Around 200 masked Jewish locals torched agricultural fields, homes and vehicles in a Palestinian Authority village to exact retribution for a deadly terrorist attack Tuesday at a gas station outside the Jewish town of Eli.

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The Jewish rioters attacked the village of Turmus Ayya, located near the town of Huwara less than 24 hours after two terrorists opened fire in a restaurant and outside the venue at the gas station, killing four Israelis and wounding four others.

Turmus Ayya Mayor Lafi Adeeb told reporters at least 12 residents were wounded due to live gunfire but did not say whether the gunfire emanated from the rioting Jews, or from local Arab residents in response to the riot. Around 30 homes and 60 vehicles were torched, he said.

Video coverage of the fires did not show any homes on fire or otherwise damaged by the flames, although many vehicles were indeed torched.

The Palestinian Authority health ministry said one of the wounded residents later died of his injuries.

Israeli Forces Attacked Upon Arrival
Israeli rescuers were attacked upon their arrival to help the local residents, however.

“A preliminary investigation on the ground shows that police forces acting to secure firefighters who were handling fire outbreaks in an open area between the village of Turmus Ayya and the community of Shiloh were met with violent attacks by dozens of Palestinians,” Israel Police said in a statement late Wednesday afternoon.

“At one point, dozens of Palestinians began a heavy assault on IDF special forces and the firefighters, which included throwing stones and shooting live fireworks in a direct attack on the forces.

“Israeli forces operating at the scene identified a shot fired at them which caused an explosion that endangered their lives, police said.

“In response, a special forces fighter who felt his life was in real danger, fired a precise shot at a rioter suspected of shooting, and a hit was detected,” the statement said.

“The injured suspect was evacuated from the scene for treatment by a Red Crescent ambulance and the incident is under investigation.”

United Hatzalah reported that at least two of the wounded residents were injured by police gunfire. Locals were seen hurling rocks at Israeli forces who responded to the rampage; one of the residents was shot after attacking police officers and firefighters at the scene.

The rioters began the rampage shortly after two of the four murdered Jews were laid to rest. Israeli security forces arrived within minutes, working to chase the rioters away.

Huwara was Home to Eli Terrorist
Nearby Huwara has been the scene of multiple deadly attacks on Jews traveling through the town in recent months. Following a particularly deadly attack in which two brothers from a nearby Jewish town were murdered, hundreds of Jewish locals flooded into Huwara, torching vehicles and homes in retribution.

Israelis living in the area and those who travel on Highway 60 to and from local Jewish towns are forced to travel through Huwara because there is no bypass road enabling them to avoid the terrorist hotbed.

One of the two terrorists who carried out the attack was from Huwara, according to his identity card, although both had recently been living in the village of Urif.

Israeli Government Response to Terror: Plans to Expand Eli, More IDF Troops
In response to Tuesday’s deadly attack, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich agreed on the “immediate advancement” of planning for approximately 1,000 new residential units in Eli, the Prime Minister’s Office announced Wednesday.

“Our answer to terrorism is to strike at it forcefully and build up our country,” they said in a joint statement.

The decision followed a security assessment held late Tuesday night at IDF Central Command headquarters following the deadly attack.

In addition, at least three battalions are being deployed to beef up Israeli military forces in Samaria.

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Hana Levi Julian
Hana Levi Julian is a Middle East news analyst with a degree in Mass Communication and Journalism from Southern Connecticut State University. A past columnist with The Jewish Press and senior editor at Arutz 7, Ms. Julian has written for Babble.com, Chabad.org and other media outlets, in addition to her years working in broadcast journalism.

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