JERUSALEM, Israel – One Israeli man was killed and two others wounded Thursday night in a shooting attack in the West Bank – biblical Judea and Samaria.
Israeli officials said at least one Palestinian gunman opened fire on a car full of Jewish seminary students near the Homesh settlement outpost. Homesh was a former settlement community that was dismantled as part of Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza in 2005, but some Israelis have built unauthorized homes at the site.
“Tonight, around 19:00, a vehicle that left the [Homesh] outpost encountered a squad of terrorists who ambushed it on the side of the road and fired more than ten bullets at it. Following the shooting, one of the occupants of the vehicle was killed and two others were lightly injured,” the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.
Israeli troops are conducting a manhunt in the area in search of the attacker.
“It will not be long before we get this squad,” said the commander of the Judea and Samaria Division, Brigadier General Avi Ballot.
Lt. Col. Amnon Shefler, a military spokesman, said it was still unclear if the attackers acted alone or were working with an organized terror group.
Yehudah Dimentman, 25, was identified as the man who died in the attack. According to media reports, he leaves behind a wife and a 9-month-old child.
“He was my friend. He was a really good guy,” said Aviah Entman, 22, one of the passengers who was wounded in the attack. “He was a very sweet person and was welcoming to everyone who wanted to speak with him. We got to talk a lot,” Entman told reporters at the hospital. “He was fun to have as a friend. We didn’t have any fear of a shooting. We didn’t think it could happen.”
Israel’s Channel 13 news said Entman had survived another attack eight months ago.
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The Palestinian terror groups Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine praised the terror attack but did not immediately claim responsibility.
Israeli leaders vow to find whoever was responsible for the deadly ambush.
“The security forces will get their hands on the terrorists very soon and we’ll ensure that justice is served,” said Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.
Israel has seen a rise in Palestinian terror attacks in the past few weeks, including a deadly shooting attack committed by a Hamas member in Jerusalem’s Old City.
Shefler, the military spokesman, said Thursday’s ambush was “a different level of attack” but said it was not known whether the various attacks were linked.
Israel’s Kan public broadcaster reported that in response to the attack, Homesh residents plan on building more units at the outpost.
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