Gunfire from West Bank targets Israeli kibbutz in northern Israel, second such attack in two weeks

Gunshots could be heard on a kibbutz community in northern Israel late Monday night. The gunfire reportedly originated from a nearby Palestinian village.

Kibbutz Meirav residents were sent a message from the local regional council, saying the shots were apparently fired from Jalbun, located on the West Bank side of the ‘Green line’ security fence which separates Israeli territory from the disputed areas of Judea and Samaria.

A photo on social media showed a bullet hole in the wall of one home, however, no injuries were reported and residents were instructed to continue with their routines without special orders. There was no official claim of responsibility for this attack by any group.

However, the shooting attack on Meirav comes just two weeks after nearby Kibbutz Ma’ale Gilboa was targeted in a similar attack, which resulted in bullet damage to homes. According to Israel Defense Forces, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror organization assumed responsibility for the attack, claiming at the time that they had been targeting homes in Meirav.

While Israeli civilians are often the intended target, Palestinian shooting attacks tend to occur more frequently in the disputed territories – on the West Bank side of the ‘green line’ security fence – as opposed to Israeli communities that are internationally recognized as Israeli territory.