Car explodes near Joseph's Tomb
No injuries to troops guarding Joseph's Tomb, but five Palestinians wounded
Night without quiet: A car exploded about 1 A.M. Thursday morning not far from a group of Jewish worshippers visiting Joseph's Tomb in the West Bank city of Nablus.
No Israeli soldiers or Jewish worshippers were wounded in the blast, but a Palestinian mother and her four children were taken to a local hospital with shrapnel injuries, Palestinian security sources said.
The blast damaged adjacent cars and nearby buildings. A Palestinian security source said a local cell of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, part of the mainstream Fatah faction, had claimed responsibility for the incident.
About 500 worshippers were visiting the site after receiving permission from head of the Israel Defense Forces Central Command, Major General Yair Naveh, and they were being escorted by IDF troops during their visit.
The blast was the lone incident of violence overnight in the Nablus region. Earlier, Palestinain gunmen opened fire at IDF troops operating in the Balata refugee camp in the city. Palestinians also fired an explosive device at soldiers in the camp. There were no injuries or damage in either incident.
Meanwhile, IDF troops arrested four Islamic Jihad members overnight in the West Bank city of Jenin. Palestinian sources said all four were from the same family.
There was an exchange of gunfire between IDF troops and Palestinian gunmen during the Jenin operation, the Palestinians said, but no damage or injuries were reported.
The army has recently foiled a series of attempts by terror groups to carry out attacks both in the West Bank and over the Green Line.
Despite the current political process between Israel and the Palestinians, miltiary sources say they are seeing an increase in the number of attempts by terror groups to carry out attacks aimed to foil this process and harm as many Israelis as possible.
-Reuters contributed to this report.
