IDF catches shooter of Israeli killed in terror attack
Hours before the start of Yom Kippur, an Israeli man was shot and killed in a terror shooting near the West Bank settlement of Neve Tzuf.
(Times of Israel) AN Israeli man in his 30s was shot and killed on Sunday in a terror shooting at a natural spring near the West Bank settlement of Neve Tzuf, also known as Halamish.
The incident took place hours before the start of Yom Kippur; it is a traditional practice to immerse in a spring ahead of the Day of Atonement.
The shooter opened fire toward the spring from a vehicle, hitting the victim, father of six Netanel Shukrun, who was also inside his car. According to the Israel Defence Forces’ initial probe, the terrorist then got out of the car and fled on foot, still armed.
Shukrun was taken in serious condition to Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva, where he later succumbed to his injuries.
Shortly after the attack, the combat tracker for the military’s Binyamin Regional Brigade opened fire on the gunman as he fled, injuring him, according to the IDF.
The terrorist later got back into his car and drove to a hospital near Ramallah. Some hours later, the army said commandos of the Duvdevan Unit, following information provided by the Shin Bet, had captured the terrorist at the hospital.
Shukrun lived in the settlement of Alei Zahav in the northern West Bank, the Samaria Regional Council said. He worked as a systems information analyst, while his wife Meirav is a lecturer at Ariel University.
“A man of kindness, humble and a lover of people, was murdered just after he finished immersing [in the spring] with his son ahead of Yom Kippur. These barbarians will never break us – we will build our land even more,” said Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan.
Separately, the IDF said a Palestinian attempted to ram troops with his vehicle at the site of the formerly evacuated settlement of Ganim in the northern West Bank.
Soldiers of the Paratroopers Brigade’s 890th Battalion stationed in the area opened fire on the car, killing the driver, according to the IDF. A second Palestinian in the car was apprehended by the soldiers. The army said no soldiers were injured.
Responding to the two attacks, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “No terrorist is immune, nor are those who assisted them.”
“We will hold them all accountable – in Gaza, in Lebanon, and in Judea and Samaria,” he said in a statement released by his office.
President Isaac Herzog said in a statement that terrorism would not break Israelis’ spirit.
“I bow my head in memory of the victim murdered in the terror attack,” said Herzog. “I share wholeheartedly in the grief of his family and community and pray for the recovery of the wounded.
“On the eve of this sacred festival, let it be stated clearly: Terror will not break us, and it will not shake our spirit. We will stand against terror together, united, resolute, and full of faith.”
Violence in the West Bank has soared since the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack on Israel triggered the Gaza war.
Sixty-seven civilians and Israeli security personnel have been killed in terror attacks in Israel and the West Bank. Another eight members of the Israeli security forces were killed in clashes during raids in Palestinian cities in the West Bank.
During the same period, more than 1100 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli forces or settlers since the war started, according to the PA health ministry. The IDF says the vast majority of them were gunmen killed in exchanges of fire, rioters who clashed with troops or terrorists carrying out attacks.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
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