Violence In Israel Continues With Shooting At West Bank Holy Site

A shooting Sunday near the Cave of the Patriarchs in the West Bank left a female Israeli soldier injured and sparked a manhunt in the Palestinian neighborhood of Abu Sneineh. The Jerusalem Post reported the fire came from an unidentified sniper on a rooftop.

The shooting occurred as the Israeli military was carrying out a training mission near the Hebron holy site.

The incident Sunday follows a wave of stabbings and military confrontations around Israel and the West Bank that have left dozens of Israelis and more than 100 Palestinians dead. On Saturday, a shooter killed two Israelis and injured eight in an attack on a popular Tel Aviv restaurant. The Israeli government said Arab-Israeli Nasha'at Melhem, 31, was responsible for that shooting.

Reports said the soldier shot Sunday sustained moderate injuries to the pelvis. Paramedics transported her to a Jerusalem medical center where she was listed in stable condition.

An ancient holy site, the Cave of the Patriarchs is revered by both Jewish and Muslim worshippers as the final resting place of Abraham and his kin. The shrine has been the site of numerous attacks by both Israelis and Arabs in the past.

In November, two teenage Israelis were wounded in a similar sniper attack at the site. In early December, Israeli Gennady Kaufman, 41, was stabbed near the site. The Palestinian attacker was shot and killed by officers. Kaufman died of his wounds last week.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to maintain access to the site. "We will stay forever. You cannot defeat us," he said last week.