Netanel Shukrun, 36, an Israeli father of six from the Alei Zahav settlement, was shot while preparing for a Yom Kippur immersion at a West Bank spring and died later at Beilinson Hospital. Israeli forces arrested a 37-year-old Palestinian suspect at a Ramallah-area hospital. The IDF said it recovered the vehicle used in the shooting and, separately, shot dead a man who allegedly attempted a ramming attack near Jenin. Authorities announced closures, arrests and a planned demolition of the suspected attacker’s home amid rising West Bank tensions.
Father of Six Shot Dead While Preparing Yom Kippur Ritual in West Bank; Suspect Arrested
The victim was shot from a vehicle, which fled the scene shortly after
An Israeli father of six, Netanel Shukrun, 36, was fatally shot while preparing for a Yom Kippur ritual at a spring in the West Bank, Israeli authorities said.
Shukrun, a resident of the Alei Zahav settlement, was about to immerse himself in the spring—a traditional ritual bathing ahead of the holiest day in the Jewish calendar—when a man in a vehicle opened fire and fled the scene. He was evacuated to Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva, where he later died of his wounds.
Israeli forces identified the suspect as a 37-year-old Palestinian from the village of Biddu, south of Ramallah. The man sought medical refuge in a hospital near Ramallah, where operatives from the Israel Defense Forces' elite Duvdevan Unit located and arrested him.
Netanel Shukrun
Less than an hour after the shooting, the military said it shot dead a Palestinian man who allegedly attempted to ram soldiers at an intersection near Jenin in the northern West Bank; authorities said they were still searching for another occupant of that vehicle. Soldiers also recovered a red Mitsubishi reportedly used in the shooting near the spring.
Earlier the same day, Israeli troops carried out a large-scale counterterrorism operation in the northern West Bank town of Al-Mughayyir. Palestinian officials reported that at least 28 people were detained during the raid.
Official Responses and Measures
IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir visited the scene near the Neve Tzuf area and said the army would "impose a closure" on the suspect's village and "conduct investigations, through which we will reach everyone who assisted the terrorist." Israeli media said the military was preparing to carry out "extensive" operations in the coming days.
IDF soldiers caught the red Mitsubishi used in Mr Shukrun's shooting - IDF
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered the IDF and the Shin Bet intelligence agency to step up operations in the West Bank with reinforced forces, to impose closures, and to carry out offensive measures and arrests to safeguard Israeli citizens. He also directed that the suspected attacker's home be demolished immediately.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called for the suspect to face the death penalty under a newly passed law targeting Palestinian attackers, saying, "A law is a law... Execution now." Human-rights groups and legal experts have raised concerns about the law and its use.
Context
The United Nations said this is the second time this year that an Israeli civilian has been killed in a confrontation with a Palestinian in the West Bank. Tensions across the territory have risen in recent months, with reports of increasing attacks by extremist settlers against Palestinians and heightened military activity. The incident adds to a pattern of escalating violence and mutual reprisals that observers say risks further destabilizing the area.
Note: All details are based on official Israeli statements and reports from Palestinian officials and international observers; some accounts may be subject to further verification as investigations continue.
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