Two Israelis were killed and six 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.
The victims were identified as Benayahu Melet, 32, a member of the community’s rapid-response security team and its agriculture director, and Maj. Yuval Ezra, 27, from Herzliya, a commander in the 411th Battalion of the 282nd Artillery Brigade, who later succumbed to his wounds.
Melet rushed to assist the group of hikers after they came under attack from terrorists near the community, which is not far from the Palestinian village of Tell. He was shot and killed by several terrorists during the rescue effort. He is survived by his wife and two daughters, aged 12 and 13.
Magen David Adom said its paramedics evacuated six wounded Israelis from the site, one in serious condition, one in moderate condition and four others who sustained light wounds.
Informed sources told JNS that a group of experienced hikers was hiking in the area when several Palestinian terrorists attacked them, stole their weapons and opened fire. IDF troops, security forces and medical teams were dispatched to the scene.
The IDF said the primary terrorist who carried out the attack was killed by soldiers immediately after opening fire on the Israeli civilians, and troops recovered the weapon he had stolen during the assault. Three other Palestinians were killed and four wounded in an ensuing gunfight, it said.
The military said Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth led a joint situational assessment with representatives of the Judea and Samaria Division, the Israel Police’s Judea and Samaria District and the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet).
Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan also arrived at the scene of the attack, where he conducted a situational assessment with security officials.
“Terror will not break us,” Dagan said. “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.”
Dagan described Melet as “a man among men” who had devoted his life to his family, the Land of Israel and the security of his community.
“I have known him since he was a child. He had a heart of gold, was a devoted family man and came from a deeply rooted family,” Dagan said. “I remember him during the arson incident at Havat Gilad on Shabbat, running to save lives. Today as well, during the terrorist attack, he courageously rushed to save lives.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that he and his wife “share in the profound grief of the families of Maj. Yuval Ezra, a battery commander in the Artillery Corps, and Master Sgt. (res.) Maj. Benayahu Mellet, a member of the emergency squad in Havat Gilad, who fell in the murderous terrorist attack this morning in Samaria,” and conveyed “deepest condolences” to their families.
He added, “Yuval and Benayahu acted with heroism and engaged the heinous terrorists to protect our citizens. Their courage and sacrifice will be etched in our hearts forever. I stand by the IDF soldiers and security forces who are operating around the clock with determination and force against terrorism. May their memory be a blessing.”
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’
Netanyahu convened a meeting with Defense Minister Israel Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir on Friday afternoon to discuss Israel’s response to the terrorist attacks in Judea and Samaria over the past 24 hours
“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.
Netanyahu and Katz ordered a series of security and settlement measures, following consultations with members of the Security Cabinet and senior defense officials.
The directives include the demolition of the home of the terrorist who carried out Friday morning’s deadly shooting attack near the Palestinian village of Tell, intensified operations in villages identified as terrorist strongholds, including the confiscation of weapons and revocation of work permits, reinforcement of IDF forces throughout Judea and Samaria, and the separation of traffic routes through additional checkpoints.
The two leaders also ordered the acceleration of the legalization of existing agricultural outposts and the establishment of new ones.
They also called on the public to allow the security forces to operate “freely and with full force” against terrorism, urging Israelis to refrain from actions that could interfere with military operations or distract troops from “their primary mission of protecting the citizens of Israel and defeating terrorism.”
Zamir conducted a separate assessment with senior commanders following the attack, directing the military to reinforce the area with additional troops to strengthen defenses and to apprehend any other terrorists involved, the IDF said.
Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called on 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 urged the IDF to demolish 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.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said “my heart breaks at the news,” and conveyed his condolences to the families and friends of the victims, as well as to the residents of Havat Gilad, and prayed for the recovery of those wounded in the heinous attack.
Herzog praised the security forces for their swift response. “I commend the security forces for acting with determination in defense of the citizens of Israel,” he said. “In the face of murderous terror seeking to harm our lives and our security, we must stand united and resolute. Terror will not prevail.”
The IDF and Israeli Security Agency (Shin Bet) announced later on Friday that Duvdevan commandos had arrested two of the terrorists involved in the attack at a hospital in Nablus after they were wounded. The security agencies said all of the attackers had been identified and forces were continuing efforts to apprehend the remaining suspects.
