Two killed in separate West Bank shootings as violence escalates

An Israeli man was shot dead near the West Bank settlement of Neve Tzuf on Sunday after a gunman opened fire from a vehicle at Israelis gathered near a spring, according to Israeli police and military officials.

Police said the suspected Palestinian gunman was located several hours later at a hospital in Ramallah and arrested. Medics found the Israeli victim suffering from critical gunshot wounds in a car, and he was later pronounced dead at hospital.

In a separate incident near the settlement of Ganim, Israeli soldiers killed a Palestinian motorist. The Israeli military said the driver had attempted to run over soldiers and that no troops were injured. That account was not independently verified in the material reviewed by France 24.

It was unclear whether the two incidents were connected. They occurred on the eve of Yom Kippur, amid a broader escalation of violence in the occupied West Bank since the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel and Israel’s ensuing military offensive in Gaza.

Hamas praised the shooting near Neve Tzuf but did not claim responsibility. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had instructed security agencies to increase their forces, make arrests and conduct offensive operations in the area.