An Israeli man was killed and two other Israeli men wounded in a terrorist shooting attack near Havat Gilad in Samaria on Friday morning after a group of Israelis hiking in the area was attacked by Palestinians, according to Magen David Adom and the Israeli military.
Magen David Adom paramedics pronounced a man in his 30s dead and, together with an IDF medical team, evacuated two gunshot victims by helicopter—a man in his 20s in serious condition and another man, about 25, in moderate condition.
“We received a report of casualties from a terrorist attack near Havat Gilad and responded with large MDA forces, including bulletproof ambulances and mobile intensive care units,” said MDA medic Aviel Mamlia. “We reached a 25-year-old man who had sustained a gunshot wound to his upper body and was fully conscious. We provided medical treatment and evacuated him to rendezvous with a military helicopter, which flew him to the hospital in stable condition.
“Later, I joined an IDF medical team, and together we treated a critically wounded casualty who was unconscious and suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Despite prolonged resuscitation efforts, we were forced to pronounce him dead.”
The Israel Defense Forces said troops were searching for the assailants and had established roadblocks throughout the area, including at entrances to nearby Nablus (Shechem).
Informed sources told JNS that a group of experienced hikers was hiking in the area when several Arab terrorists attacked them, stole their weapons and opened fire. As a result of the shooting, three hikers were wounded, one of them seriously. IDF troops, security forces and medical teams were dispatched to the scene.
Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan arrived at the scene of the attack, where he conducted a situational assessment with security officials and remains in continuous contact with the IDF and emergency services.
“The incident is still ongoing. There are still people in danger,” Dagan said. “Terror will not break us. The response must be offensive: We must relentlessly pursue the terrorists and strike terrorism with full force. At the same time, we must continue to build, develop and strengthen the communities in Samaria. Anyone who tries to harm us should know that the result will be a stronger and greater Samaria.”
The attack came a day after two separate stabbing attacks in northern Samaria. On Thursday, two terrorists stabbed an Israeli civilian near Itamar after approaching the scene of a brush fire, while another terrorist lightly wounded an IDF soldier in a stabbing attack near Ganim. The civilian and the soldier were evacuated for medical treatment. Israeli forces killed all three attackers.
Later on Thursday, IDF troops carried out counterterrorism operations in Beit Furik and Tubas, searching the homes of two of the attackers, searching several structures and questioning suspects. The military said it would continue counterterrorism operations and enforcement activities to enhance the protection and security of residents throughout Judea and Samaria.
‘The ground is burning—literally’
Yisrael Gantz, the head of the Yesha Council and the Binyamin Regional Council, said Friday that the recent shootings, attempted attacks and wave of suspected arson incidents were part of “one campaign” against Israel.
“The ground is burning—literally,” Gantz said. “The wave of arson attacks, attempted terrorist attacks and the Palestinian Authority’s ongoing incitement are part of a single campaign aimed at harming the settlements and the citizens of Israel.”
“The shocking attack this morning, which follows yesterday’s attack and the repeated waves of fires and arson, shows these are not isolated incidents but planned and ongoing terrorism,” he continued.
“Judea and Samaria is not a secondary arena. It is a central front for the State of Israel, and policy here must change accordingly.”
Gantz called on the government to launch a broad operation against terrorist strongholds, exact a “heavy price” from everyone involved in terrorism or incitement, and stop treating such attacks as routine.
“We pray for the full recovery of the wounded and strengthen the hands of the security forces, civilian security coordinators and the pioneering farmers who stand on the front line and protect Israel’s citizens every day,” he said.
‘We will act with full force’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was set to convene Defense Minister Israel Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir on Friday to discuss Israel’s response to the deadly shooting attack near Havat Gilad.
“We will act with full force against the terrorists and those who sent them, and we will not allow terrorism in Judea and Samaria to raise its head,” Netanyahu said in a statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said he would urge the Security Cabinet to authorize a significantly tougher military response.
“The towns and villages of the murderers in Judea and Samaria should be treated the same way as Beit Hanoun in Gaza,” Ben-Gvir wrote on X.
He said he would call on the IDF to destroy the homes of terrorists and their supporters using airstrikes and D9 armored bulldozers, arguing that every attack on Israelis should carry severe consequences for those responsible.
“For every Jew who is murdered, the enemy must lose land and homes,” Ben-Gvir wrote.
