An Israeli man was shot and killed in a shooting attack near the settlement of Hermesh in the northern West Bank on Tuesday, the military and medics said.
According to local authorities, the victim, later named as 32-year-old Meir Tamari, came under fire from a passing vehicle on a road near the settlement of Hermesh, west of Jenin. He continued driving until he reached the community, where he was treated by medics.
The Magen David Adom ambulance service said Tamari, a civilian, was treated in serious condition at the entrance to the settlement, after suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to his upper body. A helicopter was dispatched to the scene to take the victim to Hillel Yaffe Hospital in Hadera, where he was later declared dead.
The Israel Defense Forces said troops launched a manhunt for the gunmen, closing off several roads in the area.
In a statement carried by Palestinian media, the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades terror group, loosely linked to the Palestinian Authority’s ruling Fatah party, claimed responsibility for the deadly attack.
“We affirm that this operation and others will not be the final response to our martyrs,” the statement read.
Tamari had moved to Hermesh some four years ago after getting married to Tal, a resident of the West Bank settlement, the Samaria regional council said. He is survived by his wife and two young children, aged one and three.
On Monday night, a military ambulance was targeted in a shooting attack in the southern West Bank on Monday night, and Palestinian terrorists opened fire at a settlement in the northern West Bank and a town in Israel bordering the security barrier on Sunday, causing slight damage.
Damage is seen caused to an Israeli-owned car in a shooting attack near the Hermesh settlement in the northern West Bank, May 30, 2023. (Samaria Regional Council)
Over the past year, Palestinian gunmen have repeatedly targeted troops carrying out arrest raids, military posts, Israeli settlements and civilians on the roads.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant was set to hold an assessment on the recent attack later on Tuesday, his office said.
Tensions between Israel and the Palestinians have been elevated for the past year, with the military carrying out near-nightly raids in the West Bank, in the wake of a series of deadly Palestinian terror attacks.
Earlier this year, a string of Palestinian attacks in Israel and the West Bank killed 19 people and left several more seriously hurt.
At least 112 West Bank Palestinians have been killed since the beginning of the year — most of them while carrying out attacks or during clashes with security forces, but some were uninvolved civilians or were killed under circumstances that are being investigated.
