IDF reservist killed, senior officer seriously hurt by roadside bomb in West Bank

Sgt. First Class (res.) Eviatar Ben Yehuda, 31, killed in Palestinian town of Tamun during patrol; blast injures his battalion commander, 3 other soldiers

Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent

Sgt. First Class (res.) Eviatar Ben Yehuda, killed in the West Bank on January 20, 2025. (Courtesy)
Sgt. First Class (res.) Eviatar Ben Yehuda, killed in the West Bank on January 20, 2025. (Courtesy)

An Israeli reservist soldier was killed and four others were wounded, including a senior officer in serious condition, when they were hit by a roadside bomb in the West Bank overnight, the military announced on Monday morning.

The slain soldier was named by the Israel Defense Forces as Sgt. First Class (res.) Eviatar Ben Yehuda, 31, of the Ephraim Regional Brigade’s 8211th Reserve Battalion, from the southern town of Nitzan.

According to an initial IDF probe, the soldiers were in a David light armored vehicle part of a convoy during a patrol in the town of Tamun, in the northern West Bank, when a large explosive device was detonated.

The explosion killed Ben Yehuda, who was the driver, and seriously wounded his battalion commander, a reservist officer with the rank of lieutenant colonel, who was sitting next to him.

Three other soldiers in the back of the vehicle were also hurt and were listed in light and moderate condition.

In the past year, two soldiers and a police officer have been killed by roadside bombs in the West Bank.

Armed groups in the West Bank frequently plant improvised explosive devices under roads to attack Israeli forces carrying out arrest raids. The military regularly rips up roads with armored bulldozers as a precautionary measure before entering with lighter-armed vehicles.

A convoy of Israeli security forces’ vehicles drives through Aqaba village in the West Bank during a raid on November 9, 2024. (Jaafar ASHTIYEH / AFP)

Violence in the West Bank has mounted since October 7, 2023, when Hamas assaulted southern Israel, sparking war in Gaza and unrest across the region. Since then, 46 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 seven members of the security forces were killed in clashes with terror operatives in the West Bank. Much of the violence has been concentrated near Nablus, Jenin and other Palestinian cities in the northern West Bank.

According to the Palestinian Authority Health Ministry, more than 858 West Bank Palestinians have been killed since October 7, 2023. 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.

During the same period, troops have arrested some 6,000 wanted Palestinians across the West Bank, including more than 2,350 affiliated with Hamas.

Additionally, settler violence against Palestinians has soared since the Hamas massacre, with security forces accused of turning a blind eye to the attacks.

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