An Israeli woman was killed, and another man was seriously injured today, Monday, in a shooting incident on the road to the "Kiryat Arba" settlement near the city of Hebron in the West Bank. The Israeli army announced in a statement that it "set up roadblocks and is searching for the suspects, whom it said fired from a moving vehicle."
Security forces immediately began search operations to locate the shooter, who removed his license plate, as Israeli surveillance cameras failed to identify it. The Israeli newspaper "Yediot Ahronot" reported that "200 alerts concerning potential Palestinian attacks have been recorded this year."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while visiting the shooting site with Defense Minister Yoav Galant, stated that Israel would implement measures to settle accounts with the attackers and those who sent them, "from near or far." Galant noted, "The significant change occurring on the ground relates to Iranian funding and the spread of weapons under Iranian guidance. Iran is seeking by all means to harm the citizens of Israel," without providing further details.
Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qasem praised the attack, describing it as a response to the ongoing Israeli assaults on Palestinians. He noted, "This operation comes in its natural context in confronting the religious war against our sanctities and against Israeli projects in Jerusalem and the West Bank."
On his part, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh accused Israel on Monday during the weekly cabinet meeting in Ramallah of imposing "collective punishments on the Palestinians." He stated that "the terrorist actions against the town of Hawara and villages south of Nablus over the past two days by settler gangs, and the collective punishment and repeated aggression against our people will increase their resilience and determination."
In Beita, eight Palestinians were injured by live ammunition, one of whom was shot in the head, and a doctor was arrested on Monday evening during an Israeli raid in the town, south of Nablus. Video footage showed soldiers directly shooting live ammunition at the back of a young man’s head as he was heading toward another injured person, posing no danger. Local sources reported that Israeli forces raided the town, leading to clashes where live and rubber-coated steel bullets, as well as tear gas, were fired at citizens. They also stormed a house, searched it, and detained doctor Shahid Maala.
