Palestinian gunman injures 3 Israeli soldiers, killed

Israeli military said on Monday that troops shot dead a Palestinian gunman after he shot and injured three soldiers in a West Bank military checkpoint.

The shooting occurred at a checkpoint outside the city of Ramallah, by the 'Beit El' Jewish settlement.

A spokesman from Israel's MDA emergency service said that medical teams were treating a man who sustained serious injuries and two other individuals with mild wounds.

A military spokesperson released a photo believed to be of the rifle used during the attack, and said the man, armed with the rifle, arrived at the checkpoint and "opened fire at forces at the scene, injuring three soldiers."

The forces responded with fire, killing the assailant, said the spokesperson.

The incident comes amidst a year full of violence, which has claimed the lives of at least 230 Palestinians and 34 Israelis since Sept. 2015.

Israel says that most of the Palestinians killed were perpetrating or attempting to perpetrate stabbing, car-ramming, and shooting attacks.

Palestinians and human rights organizations say that Israel is using excessive force to quell an uprising, and frequently kills Palestinians who could be stopped without resorting to lethal force or who were mistakenly believed to be attackers.

Israeli leaders accuse the Palestinian National Authority of "inciting" the unrest, while Palestinians say it is the result of 49 years of Israeli occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, home to over five million Palestinians who wish to establish their state there. Endit