The Israel Defense Forces eliminated the Palestinian terrorist who murdered Israeli mother Tzeela Gez, 30, as she was on her way to deliver her fourth son, the Samaria Regional Council announced.
Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan informed Gez’s widower on Wednesday after the terrorist’s identity was confirmed, the council said.
Terrorist Nael Samara was killed on Saturday during an IDF counter-terrorism operation in the Palestinian village of Bruqin. According to Israel’s Ynet, he was shot after he approached troops while carrying a suspicious bag and shouting Allahu Akbar (“God is great” in Arabic).
“We certainly do not find solace in the killing of this vile terrorist. That is only a small comfort,” said Dagan in a statement. “The true remedy is restoring deterrence and preventing the next attack.”
Bruqin “has become a breeding ground for terror,” he continued. “The entire people of Israel are united in the demand for a strong response.”
Dagan concluded: “The appropriate and true response is strengthening settlement in Samaria—establishing new communities now, in Tzeela’s path and in her memory.”
Israeli security forces apprehended several other suspects in the search for the terrorists who murdered Tzeela Gez and injured her husband in the May 14 shooting attack outside the couple’s community of Bruchin.
“As part of the IDF and Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) manhunt for the terrorist who carried out the shooting attack, IDF soldiers, guided by the Shin Bet, carried out targeted searches in the village of Bruqin, near the scene of the attack,” the Israeli military stated on Saturday.
Gez’s baby was delivered after the shooting. The newborn remains in serious but stable condition. Gez’s sister told local media on Sunday that the boy was sedated at Schneider Children’s Medical Center.
“He was without oxygen for a long time—some 50 minutes—from the moment Tzeela was murdered until he was delivered,” Lotem Sasson told Arutz 7. “Some of the breathing tubes have already been removed, but he is still sedated. I am really hoping to hear better news today.”
“Tzeela has four children who will grow up without a mother, who was so amazing,” Sasson said. “I was always trying to learn from her how to be a mother. No one can take her place.”
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.
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.
