Palestinian gunman shoots dead Israeli settler in the West Bank, soldiers kill motorist

A suspected Palestinian gunman shot and killed an Israeli settler in the occupied West Bank on Sunday near the settlement of Neve Tzuf, close to Ramallah. Meanwhile, Israeli soldiers killed a Palestinian motorist whom the military claimed attempted to ram them near Ganim, further north.

The shooting occurred at a natural spring near Neve Tzuf, also known as Halamish, where Israeli settlers had gathered ahead of Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, which began at sundown Sunday. The Israeli military and police claimed the gunman opened fire from a vehicle at people gathered at the spring.

Medics found an Israeli man in his 30s suffering from critical gunshot wounds inside a car. He was taken to Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva, where he later died, police said. Israel Ganz, head of the Yesha Council, an umbrella organization representing Israeli settlers in the West Bank, said the victim was a settler. The Samaria Regional Council later identified him as a resident of a West Bank settlement.

According to the Israeli military, the suspected gunman fled on foot after the shooting and was wounded by gunfire from an Israeli soldier. He later reached a hospital near Ramallah, where Israeli forces arrested him several hours after the attack. The military claimed troops detained him at the hospital after receiving intelligence about his whereabouts. Palestinian sources said the hospital was in Ramallah.

Reuters could not independently verify the military’s account.

Shortly after the shooting, the Israeli military said its forces killed a Palestinian driver who had allegedly attempted to ram soldiers near the settlement of Ganim, near Jenin. No soldiers were injured, according to the military. Reuters could not immediately independently verify the account.

It was not immediately clear whether the two incidents were connected.

Netanyahu vows response

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the shooting and said he had instructed security agencies to increase their forces in the area and carry out arrests and offensive operations.

Earlier, Netanyahu said he had ordered security forces to act in “Judea and Samaria,” the term Israel uses for the occupied West Bank, “to ensure the safety of Israeli citizens,” according to a statement from his office.

“No terrorist will go unpunished. We will make them pay in Gaza, Lebanon, and Judea and Samaria,” he added.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog also condemned the attacks, saying, “On this eve of a sacred holiday, we must clearly state: terrorism will not break us,” according to a statement from his office.

Hamas praised the shooting but did not claim responsibility for it.

Rising violence

The occupied West Bank has seen escalating violence since Israel's war on Gaza.

According to an AFP tally based on Palestinian Health Ministry data, Israeli forces and settlers have killed at least 1,103 Palestinians in the West Bank since Oct. 7, 2023. Israeli figures say at least 48 Israelis, including civilians and security forces, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations over the same period.

Outside East Jerusalem, which Israel occupies and has annexed, about 3 million Palestinians live in the West Bank alongside more than 500,000 Israeli settlers, according to AFP.