Four Wounded in Hand Grenade Blast in Northern Israeli Town of Kafr Manda

Four people were wounded, one of them critically, when a hand grenade exploded on Saturday afternoon in Kafr Manda, an Arab town in northern Israel, according to Magen David Adom. Israeli media outlets later reported that the critically wounded woman had died from the injuries she suffered in the blast.

The ambulance service said its 101 emergency hotline received a report of four people hurt in the explosion at 1:53 p.m. Paramedics evacuated the wounded to Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa and to the Italian Hospital in Nazareth.

A woman of about 60 was in critical condition and was evacuated while paramedics performed CPR on her. A man and a woman in their 50s were listed in moderate condition, and a fourth victim was lightly hurt.

Footage from the scene obtained by the Walla news site showed the entrance to a business shattered, with broken plates and other objects scattered outside.

Israel Police officers called to the scene began collecting evidence and opened an investigation into the circumstances of the explosion. Police said the background to the incident and its circumstances were still under examination.

"When we arrived at the scene, we saw a commotion and several people who had been wounded. They told us they had been hurt by a grenade," said MDA paramedic Iyad Hibi.

Hibi said medics immediately began resuscitation efforts on the critically wounded woman, including chest compressions, ventilation and medication, before rushing her to the hospital in a mobile intensive care unit. "We are continuing to fight for her life," he said, adding that crews also evacuated two more wounded people in moderate condition and one in light condition from the scene.

The blast came about a month after a separate shooting in the village of Manda was reported, a case that led to indictments against both sides of the conflict. In that incident, dozens of bullets were fired at the home of two brothers in the community. The shooter, who was seriously injured while fleeing, was charged with weapons offenses, shooting in a residential area, malicious damage and threats.

According to the indictment, two masked men riding a scooter arrived at the home of brothers Hassan and Rami Khosh at around 1:55 a.m. on April 15. Following a previous dispute between the parties, the pair opened fire with an M-16 rifle and a pistol at the home and at a vehicle parked outside, while one of the brothers and his wife were inside. The two then fled on the scooter but slipped on the road a short time later, dropping their weapons. The driver, Zidan Raad Taha, 19, was seriously injured in the fall while his partner managed to escape. Police said the brothers then arrived at the scene, picked up the fallen weapons and left, intending to use them as a bargaining chip in the dispute.

Taha was hospitalized for about two months at Rambam Hospital and underwent rehabilitation. After recovering from his injury he was arrested and questioned, and an indictment was later filed against him. His partner in the shooting, whose identity is known to police, had not yet been arrested as of the earlier report.