Drive-by shooting near West Bank kills one, wounds five; attacker shot dead by Israeli security forces
A man in a car opened fire at three locations near the occupied West Bank on Sunday, killing a 35-year-old man and wounding five others before security forces shot him dead.
A series of drive-by shootings unfolded on Sunday morning in central Israel, leaving one person dead and five wounded. The attacker, a Palestinian man with Israeli citizenship in his twenties from Tayibe, began firing near a gas station in Kokhav Yair before continuing to two other sites, including Tzur Yitzhak and a road near the West Bank settlement of Sela'it. Security forces intercepted and killed the gunman after a brief chase.
The attack sequence
Magen David Adom (MDA) received the first alert at 10:34 local time for gunfire at a fuel station near Kokhav Yair. The attacker, armed with a submachine gun according to Rai news, shot two men there, one of them aged 50 and seriously wounded. He then drove roughly two kilometres north to Tzur Yitzhak, where he fired again, injuring more civilians. The rampage ended on a roadside near Sela'it, where security personnel from the settlement killed the suspect.
- MDA receives first alert for gunfire at a fuel station near Kokhav Yair
- Attacker opens fire at the Kokhav Yair gas station, wounding two men
- Gunman drives roughly two kilometres north to Tzur Yitzhak and fires again
- Attack ends on a road near Sela'it settlement; security forces shoot the suspect dead
- MDA paramedics pronounce a 35-year-old man dead at the scene near Sela'it
- Five wounded evacuated to Meir and Beilinson hospitals
- Second suspect arrested after making statements suggesting involvement
Casualties and response
MDA paramedics pronounced a 35-year-old man dead at the scene near Sela'it. Paramedic Lior Zilberberg told reporters the victim had no pulse and was not breathing, with gunshot wounds to his body. Five injured people were evacuated to Meir and Beilinson hospitals; two were in critical condition and three in moderate condition with penetrating injuries. The dead man was later identified as a member of local security who had rushed to assist the first victims, according to Rai.
The attacker and investigation
Police identified the gunman as an Israeli Arab in his twenties from Tayibe, a city predominantly inhabited by Arab citizens of Israel. Police chief Danny Levy said the attacker had a criminal record. A second suspect was arrested after making statements suggesting involvement and attempting to assault officers with a glass bottle. Israeli soldiers raided the attacker's family home in Tayibe, where his aunt denied any militant affiliation. "No, none of us are. We are people who walk along the walls. But my nephew was never the same after he lost his brother three years ago," she told Rai's Tg3.
Claims and political reaction
Hamas's armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, claimed responsibility for the attack, calling it a response to "the aggression of the occupation," according to SAPO. Islamic Jihad also praised the operation. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his cabinet: "This morning, a heinous terrorist went out, reached Kokhav Yair, and unfortunately managed, before being eliminated, to murder an Israeli citizen and injure others."
This morning, a heinous terrorist went out, reached Kokhav Yair, and unfortunately managed, before being eliminated, to murder an Israeli citizen and injure others.
President Isaac Herzog said he was "shocked by the horrific terror attack." Hardline Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for a "profound change" among Israeli Arabs, describing a "dangerous and extremist breeding ground for terrorism." National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir invoked the newly passed death penalty law for terrorists, stating it "also applies to Israeli Arabs."
Broader context
The attack occurred amid heightened tensions following a spate of Israeli settler attacks and the deadly shooting of a Palestinian baby over the weekend in the nearby West Bank. Following the shootings, Israeli forces closed two checkpoints at entrances to Tulkarem and set up temporary checkpoints near Qalqilya. About a fifth of Israelis are Arab citizens who often identify as Palestinians.
