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Palestinian gunman shot by IDF troops in northern Samaria

No Israelis were wounded in the attempted attack.

The evacuated community of Homesh in northern Samaria, Nov. 17, 2022. Photo by Nasser Ishtayeh/Flash90.
The evacuated community of Homesh in northern Samaria, Nov. 17, 2022. Photo by Nasser Ishtayeh/Flash90.

Israel Defense Forces troops neutralized a Palestinian terrorist who opened fire at soldiers stationed at a checkpoint in northern Samaria on Sunday night.

The terrorist arrived by car at the Homesh checkpoint, located near the Jewish community north of Nablus (Shechem), and fired at the soldiers.

“The forces engaged, returned fire and neutralized the terrorist,” the army confirmed in a statement, adding that no Israelis were wounded.

The condition of the Palestinian assailant was not immediately clear.

Last month, an Israeli was wounded in a shooting attack outside the central Samaria city of Ariel. The injured victim, an 18-year-old male, sustained moderate wounds and was evacuated to Rabin Medical Center’s Beilinson Hospital in the central city of Petach Tikvah.

Palestinian terrorists targeted Israeli Jews in Judea and Samaria at least 6,343 times in 2024, according to figures published by the Rescuers Without Borders (Hatzalah Judea and Samaria) NGO on Feb. 17.

The figures, which were cross-checked against official data from Israel’s security services, included 179 instances of terrorist shootings. Twenty-seven Israelis were murdered in Judea and Samaria in 2024, and more than 300 others were wounded, the group said in its annual report.

Israeli security officials are aware that a “more intense front” could open in Judea and Samaria and are stepping up counter-terror operations in the area, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on March 19.

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