An Israeli man in his 30s was shot dead near the West Bank settlement of Neve Tzuf, also known as Halamish, on Sunday, hours before the start of the Yom Kippur holiday. The suspected attacker, who was injured while fleeing the scene, was later arrested at a hospital, according to the Israeli military.The victim was identified as Netanel Shukrun, a father of six who lived in the West Bank settlement of Alei Zahav, The Times of Israel reported. Shukrun had gone to a natural spring near Neve Tzuf with his eldest son to immerse in the water ahead of Yom Kippur, when the shooting took place.
How the attack unfolded
According to the Israel Defense Forces, the suspected attacker opened fire toward the spring from a vehicle before getting out and fleeing on foot while still armed. Shukrun was seriously wounded and taken to Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva, where he later died.Footage shared on social media showed people at the spring ducking for cover as gunshots were heard in the area.The military said a combat tracker from the Binyamin Regional Brigade opened fire at the attacker as he fled, injuring him. The suspect then returned to his vehicle and drove to a hospital near Ramallah, where Israeli commandos from the Duvdevan Unit later arrested him based on information from the Shin Bet.The suspect’s vehicle parked outside the hospital was also seized, the IDF said.Separately, the military said soldiers shot dead a Palestinian man who allegedly attempted to ram troops with his vehicle near the site of the former settlement of Ganim in the northern West Bank. Another Palestinian who was in the vehicle was detained, while no Israeli soldiers were injured, according to the IDF.
What Netanyahu said
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the attacks and said that “no terrorist is immune, nor are those who assisted them.”Netanyahu said he had instructed Israeli security forces to send reinforcements to the West Bank, impose closures and carry out arrests.“We will hold them all accountable — in Gaza, in Lebanon, and in Judea and Samaria,” he said in a statement.He also ordered the immediate demolition of the home of “the terrorist”, though it was unclear which of the two attackers he was referring to.“On behalf of all the citizens of Israel, my wife and I send our deepest condolences to the family of the victim of the attack and share in their profound grief,” Netanyahu said.Shukrun worked as a systems information analyst, while his wife Meirav is a lecturer at Ariel University, according to The Times of Israel. Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan described him as a “man of kindness” and “humble and a lover of people.”