2 soldiers killed, 8 hurt in shooting attack at IDF checkpoint in northern West Bank
Palestinian gunman breaches military post near Tayasir, exchanges fire with troops for several minutes until he is killed; Palestinians later report drone strike nearby
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
A Palestinian gunman infiltrated an army checkpoint in the northern West Bank on Tuesday morning, opening fire and killing two soldiers and wounding eight others before being killed, the military said.
The attack took place at the Taysir checkpoint, close to the Palestinian village of the same name. The checkpoint is on a road leading from the Jordan Valley to the village and other Palestinian towns.
The slain soldiers were named by the Israel Defense Forces as Sgt. Maj. (res.) Ofer Yung, 39, from Tel Aviv and Sgt. Maj. (res.) Avraham Tzvi Tzvika Friedman, 43, from Ein HaNatziv.
Both served in the Ephraim Regional Brigade’s 8211th Reserve Battalion. Yung was a squad commander.
According to an initial probe by the IDF, the gunman managed to sneak up to a military post at the checkpoint, where he opened fire on troops just before 6 a.m.
The compound next to the checkpoint includes a watchtower and several structures, and it is manned by a squad of 11 soldiers and a commander.
The assailant, who has not yet been identified, was armed with an M-16 assault rifle and two magazines, and wearing a tactical vest.
The IDF’s probe found that the gunman approached the army post on foot undetected overnight. At dawn, the assailant surprised two soldiers who were getting up to leave the post to open the adjacent Tayasir checkpoint for Palestinian traffic.
The soldiers, who were in full military gear, exchanged fire with the gunman at close range at the entrance to the post. One of the two soldiers was killed in the exchange of fire, and the second was wounded.
From there, other soldiers stationed at the army post exchanged fire with the gunman for several minutes, during which he managed to enter the post itself and the entrance to the watchtower. The IDF said that the gunman did not go up to the top of the watchtower.
During the exchange of fire inside the post, another soldier was killed and others were wounded.
A backup team then arrived at the scene and opened fire on the gunman from outside the army post, causing him to flee.
During the gunman’s attempts to run away from the post, one soldier from the backup team hurled a grenade at him, and others opened fire. The assailant was killed by the grenade just outside the army post.
Eight troops were wounded in the attack, the IDF said, including two listed in serious condition. The other six were lightly hurt, according to the military. They were taken to hospitals in Israel.
Footage posted by Palestinian media showed the moments of the attack.
In the video, gunfire can be seen at the top of the watchtower. According to the IDF’s probe, troops stationed in the watchtower opened fire from above at the gunman.
لحظة تنفيذ عملية إطلاق النار ضد قوات الاحتلال قرب حاجز تياسير شرق طوباس مما أسفر عن مقتل جنديين وإصابة 6 آخرين. pic.twitter.com/pwHh8wIFI3
— فلسطين بوست (@PalpostN) February 4, 2025
Speaking at the scene of the attack, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said the army would ramp up and expand military operations in the area.
“This is a difficult attack in which we lost two reserve soldiers. We will investigate and learn lessons, some of them have already been implemented,” he said. “We will increase the operations to thwart [attacks], and expand them to additional areas.”
Shortly after the shooting attack, Palestinian media reported an Israeli drone strike in the town of Tamun, close to Tayasir. No injuries were reported.
There was no immediate comment from the IDF on the strike.
Tuesday’s shooting came amid an ongoing counter-terrorism offensive in the northern West Bank, including in several Palestinian towns near the site of the attack.
#متابعة | إعلام العدو: تحقيق أولي يؤكد أن منفذ عملية تياسير اقتحم البرج العسكري وأطلق النار منه على الجنود. pic.twitter.com/oDyw32H4sw
— المركز الفلسطيني للإعلام (@PalinfoAr) February 4, 2025
The IDF has been operating in Jenin, Tulkarem, and Tamun for two weeks.
Over 35 gunmen were killed by troops during the operation, and another 15 were killed in drone strikes, the military said Sunday.
The IDF has acknowledged mistakenly killing several civilians during the operation, including a toddler.
More than 100 wanted Palestinians have been detained, and troops have seized some 40 weapons and neutralized over 80 explosive devices during the operation, according to the IDF.
The offensive, dubbed Operation Iron Wall, was launched on January 21, and the military expects it to last several more weeks.
The West Bank has seen a surge in violence since Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip ignited the war there.
Since then troops have arrested some 6,000 wanted Palestinians across the West Bank, including more than 2,350 affiliated with Hamas. According to the Palestinian Authority health ministry, more than 900 West Bank Palestinians have been killed in that time. The IDF says the vast majority of them were gunmen killed in exchanges of fire, rioters who clashed with troops or terrorists carrying out attacks.
There has also been a significant uptick in settler violence against Palestinians since the start of the war.
During the same period, 48 people, including Israeli security personnel, have been killed in Palestinian terror attacks in Israel and the West Bank, including some carried out by Israeli citizens.
Another eight members of the security forces were killed in clashes with terror operatives during raids in the West Bank.
