GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Israel has been increasingly accusing Hamas of trying to ignite the West Bank after Israel said Aug. 6 that it had foiled a bombing attempt that a Hamas cell was planning to execute in Jerusalem. The body of an off-duty Israeli soldier who was stabbed to death was also found near Bethlehem in the southern part of the West Bank on Aug. 8. Israel accused the Hamas leadership in the Gaza Strip of giving orders to carry out the attack.
No Palestinian party claimed responsibility for the soldier’s killing, although most Palestinian factions praised the attack in separate statements Aug. 8. Israel said the attack was aimed at abducting the soldier. Israeli army forces were deployed in the south of the West Bank and carried out an extensive search for the culprits.
