Israeli teenager killed in West Bank explosion

Girl's father and brother seriously injured by what Israeli army said was a homemade bomb

Israeli security forces gather at the site where a bomb exploded near the Israeli settlement of Dolev in the occupied West Bank on August 23, 2019 injuring at least three people. A blast from a homemade bomb killed one Israeli and seriously wounded two of her family members in an attack near a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank on, officials said. Israeli security forces were deployed throughout the area of the attack near the settlement of Dolev, northwest of Ramallah, in a search for suspects.
 / AFP / Ahmad GHARABLI
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An Israeli teenager was killed in explosion near an Israeli settlement north-west of Ramallah on Friday and her father and brother seriously injured.

Israel's Magen David Adom ambulance service confirmed that 17-year-old Rina Shnerb had died at the scene and said her father and brother – named by Israeli media as Rabbi David Eitan, 46, and 21-year-old Dvir – were in serious condition.

Israel's army said the blast was caused by a homemade bomb and the incident was being treated as a terrorist attack.

Soldiers quickly blocked roads and began a search of the area.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent condolences to the family and said security forces were pursuing the attackers. "The long arm of Israel reaches all those who seek our lives and will settle accounts with them," he said.

The blast occurred at a popular spring near Dolev, a settlement about 19 kilometres north of Jerusalem. The hilly central region of the occupied West Bank is dotted with olive groves and orchards and is popular with hikers.

The area saw clashes last year between Palestinians and Israelis over settlement expansions, as Palestinian villagers complained that settlers were trying to take over land, including water sources.

Friday's blast comes amid concerns of a possible increase in Israeli-Palestinian violence in the run-up to Israel's September 17 elections. In the most serious incidents, an 19-year-old Israeli soldier was fatally stabbed near the Gush Etzion settlement earlier this month and two Israelis were wounded in an apparent ramming attack near the Elazar settlement a week later.

There have also been a string of attempted attacks on Israeli soldiers along the border with the blockaded Palestinian enclave of Gaza.

On Friday, the Israeli army said it had shot and wounded a Palestinian overnight after he threw grenades at soldiers while attempting to cross the Gaza border.