A deadly shooting incident in central Israel on Sunday left one person dead and five others wounded in what authorities are treating as a terror attack, according to Israeli police.
The victim, a 35-year-old man, was killed by gunfire while five additional people sustained injuries during shootings that occurred at three separate locations near the occupied West Bank, police reported. Two of the wounded are in serious condition.
Law enforcement officials confirmed that the suspected shooter, identified as an Israeli Arab from the nearby city of Tayibe, was also killed. A weapon was recovered from the scene. Israeli media outlets reported that a second suspect was also fatally shot.
“Large police forces remain at the scene, and searches are continuing,” authorities stated, while asking residents to stay alert. Israel’s emergency medical services confirmed the 35-year-old victim died from gunshot wounds and characterized the incident as a drive-by shooting.
The attacks occurred close to the Palestinian West Bank city of Qalqilya. While the militant organization Hamas commended the attack, they did not take credit for carrying it out.
Following the shootings, Israeli military forces were sent to one location in central Israel and to a nearby Israeli settlement in the West Bank. Police reported they have found the vehicle believed to have been used in the attack.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been informed of the situation, according to his office. Hardline Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for a “profound change” among Israel’s Arab community, saying they are a “dangerous and extremist breeding ground for terrorism is growing that seeks to destroy the State of Israel.”
