Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Tuesday condemned the previous day’s terrorist attack in Samaria, in which three Israelis were murdered, calling it “an act of war” that will be “met with a decisive response.”
“We will strike the terrorists and their dispatchers and take firm action against the localities that harbored them. Palestinian terrorism will not be tolerated, and Jewish blood will not be spilled in vain,” Katz said during a visit to the attack site near al-Funduq, close to the Israeli community of Kedumim.
Katz met with Ami Barber, a civilian who returned fire at the gunmen, praising his heroism, according to i24NEWS.
Eight others were injured in the attack, including one seriously, prompting a large-scale manhunt for the perpetrators, who remain at large.
Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi on Monday vowed to bring justice to the terrorists responsible.
Speaking during a visit to the the site of the attack, Halevi said: “This is a severe attack, two [female] civilians and a police officer were killed. I extend my deepest condolences to the families.”
Israel is engaged in “intense and wide-ranging combat against terrorism in Judea and Samaria,” he continued. “We will intensify and continue this combat. For the terrorists who carried out this attack, the clock is ticking. We will find out who perpetrated this attack and reach them. We will act swiftly to bypass the town on this route and make the route safer.”
