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Officer questioned after allegedly shooting two Israelis amid Samaria riots

The officer reportedly opened fire after an argument broke out between him and a group of masked Jews.

Jews pray at the scene where three Israelis were murdered in a shooting attack, in the village of al-Funduq in Samaria, Jan. 6, 2025. Photo by Erik Marmor/Flash90.
Jews pray at the scene where three Israelis were murdered in a shooting attack, in the village of al-Funduq in Samaria, Jan. 6, 2025. Photo by Erik Marmor/Flash90.

An Israeli police officer was questioned under caution after he allegedly shot and seriously wounded two Israeli Jews following violent riots in the Palestinian village of al-Funduq in Samaria on Monday evening.

The incident reportedly took place near the Jewish outpost of Ramat Gilad, located around a mile southwest of the village where three Israeli civilians were murdered by a Palestinian terrorist on Jan. 6.

Investigators from the Justice Ministry’s Police Investigations Department came to the scene to collect evidence, Channel 12 News reported. As part of the probe, the officer was ordered to house arrest, barred from police facilities and banned from contacting those involved in the incident.

Israel Hayom cited eyewitnesses as claiming that the officer, who had responded to reports of Jewish activists setting fire to Arab vehicles, businesses and other structures in al-Funduq, opened fire after an argument broke out between him and a group of masked rioters.

According to earlier reports in Hebrew media, the masked men had ambushed the officer and attacked him with pepper spray.

An Israel Defense Forces soldier reportedly also discharged his weapon during the incident.

The officer was said to have failed to provide medical assistance to the wounded, while the soldier helped medics who rushed to the scene.

Israel’s Magen David Adom (MDA) medical emergency response group said it evacuated two seriously wounded Israelis to Meir Medical Center in Kfar Saba. One of the victims was listed as being in critical condition.

One of the shooting victims was transferred to Rabin Medical Center’s Beilinson Hospital in Petach Tikvah overnight for surgery, Meir Medical Center said in a statement on Tuesday. He remains in serious condition.

Following the riots in al-Funduq, Hamas in a statement called on Palestinians to increase terror attacks on Israeli civilians and troops.

Interior Minister Moshe Arbel said in a first response to the incident on Monday night, “On this difficult evening, that will still be thoroughly investigated, the obvious must also be said: In the State of Israel, buildings and vehicles are not set on fire, and pepper spray is not used against IDF forces.”

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz in a statement issued on Tuesday said he “strongly condemns” the previous night’s disturbances in al-Funduq.

“Law enforcement authorities should enforce the law and arrest and prosecute anyone who breaks the law, whether in Judea and Samaria or anywhere else in Israel,” stated the defense minister, urging Judea and Samaria local leaders to “strongly condemn any violence of this kind.”

Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan also condemned the violence on Tuesday morning. During an interview by Ynet, he urged an investigation of the “unusual incident” in the Palestinian village.

The IDF recorded 663 instances of violence by Jews against Palestinians in Judea and Samaria last year, a 34% decrease compared to 2023 when 1,005 incidents were recorded. Meanwhile, Israel recorded thousands of attacks by Palestinians in 2024—including many in Judea and Samaria.

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