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Israeli troops surround Nablus following attack on settlers

RAMALLAH, March 12 (KUNA) -- Israeli troops encircled the West Bank town of Nablus on Saturday shortly after a lone Palestinian sneaked into a nearby Jewish settlement and stabbed to death a five-member family.
Witnesses told KUNA a large number of troops were deployed and roadblocks were rapidly erected around the town, barring Palestinians from venturing out or into the town.
Several roadblocks that had been dismantled were set up anew around Nablus, they said.
They indicated the Israeli military forces were on full alert in the Nablus region, holding motorists at the checkpoints around the ancient town. In the nearby village of Awarta, the troops stormed houses, searching for a Palestinian, in his 20th, believed to have carried out the early attack on the settlers.
The Israeli Army carried out the extraordinary measures in the Nablus region shortly after the lone Palestinian sneaked into the nearby Jewish settlement of Itamar, attacked a family of five members killing them all.
Israel Radio said the Palestinian, armed with knives, stabbed the five members of the family, the parents and three children, to death after he infiltrated into the outpost and sneaked into the family house.
The attacker fled and the Israeli Army carried out a wide-scale search for him, firing blares over nearby regions.
The attack followed identical recent violence pitting Palestinian activists against Jewish settlers. (end) nq.rk KUNA 121016 Mar 11NNNN