Father of six shot dead in West Bank terror attack near natural spring, IDF catches shooter

An Israeli man in his 30s was shot and killed Sunday late morning in a terror shooting at a natural spring near the West Bank settlement of Neve Tzuf, also known as Halamish.

The incident took place hours before the start of the Yom Kippur holiday; it is a traditional practice to immerse in a spring ahead of the Day of Atonement, which begins at sundown.

The shooter opened fire toward the spring from a vehicle, hitting the victim, father of six Netanel Shukrun, who was also inside his car. Neither was driving. According to the Israel Defense Forces’ initial probe, the terrorist then got out of the car and fled on foot, still armed.

Footage posted to social media showed the moment of the attack. In the clip, Israeli bathers at the spring can be seen ducking for cover as sounds of gunshots ring out in the area.

Shukrun was taken in serious condition to Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva, where he later succumbed to his injuries.

Shortly after the terror attack, the combat tracker for the military’s Binyamin Regional Brigade opened fire on the gunman as he fled, injuring him, according to the IDF.

The terrorist later got back into his car and drove to a hospital near Ramallah.

Some hours later, the army said commandos of the Duvdevan Unit, following information provided by the Shin Bet, had captured the terrorist at the hospital. The terrorist’s vehicle, parked outside the medical center, was also seized, the military said.

Shukrun lived in the settlement of Alei Zahav in the northern West Bank, the Samaria Regional Council said.

He went to the natural spring with his eldest son to immerse in the water before Yom Kippur.

Shukrun worked as a systems information analyst, while his wife Meirav is a lecturer at Ariel University.

“A man of kindness, humble and a lover of people, was murdered just after he finished immersing [in the spring] with his son ahead of Yom Kippur. These barbarians will never break us — we will build our land even more,” said Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan.

Dagan called on the security services to “increase the force of activities within [Palestinian] villages, go house to house, collect illegal weapons, and dismantle the terror infrastructure.”

Israel Ganz, the head of the Binyamin Regional Council, said: “This is a very difficult incident, but we are strong and we will get through it.”

“God willing, this [upcoming] Sukkot will be full of tourists,” he said, referring to the weeklong festival that starts later this week. “No one is going to run away from here.”

Footage shows the moment of the shooting attack at a natural spring near Halamish. pic.twitter.com/1lmJK5Sx3z

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) September 20, 2026

“The State of Israel must go from defense to offense and restore deterrence and security for residents. The settlements will never be broken,” added Dagan, who also serves as head of the Yesha Council, an umbrella organization for West Bank settlements.

IDF: Palestinian driver tried to ram troops, shot dead

Separately, the IDF said a Palestinian attempted to ram troops with his vehicle at the site of the formerly evacuated settlement of Ganim in the northern West Bank.

Soldiers of the Paratroopers Brigade’s 890th Battalion stationed in the area opened fire on the car, killing the driver, according to the IDF.

A second Palestinian in the car was apprehended by the soldiers.

The army said no soldiers were injured in the incident.

Responding to the two attacks, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that “no terrorist is immune, nor are those who assisted them.”

“We will hold them all accountable — in Gaza, in Lebanon, and in Judea and Samaria,” he said in a statement released by his office, using the biblical term for the West Bank.

The premier said he instructed Israeli security forces to send reinforcements to the West Bank, and to impose closures and carry out arrests.

Netanyahu also ordered that the home of “the terrorist” be demolished immediately. It was not clear which attacker Netanyahu was referring to, though at the time the statement went out, the perpetrator of the shooting had yet to be caught.

“On behalf of all the citizens of Israel, my wife and I send our deepest condolences to the family of the victim of the attack and share in their profound grief,” said Netanyahu of the victim of the terror shooting.

Defense Minister Israel Katz sent his condolences to the victim’s family and praised IDF soldiers operating in the West Bank.

“The IDF and security forces are prepared to defend the borders and citizens of Israel everywhere, from all enemies who plot to carry out attacks on the Jewish people’s holiest day,” he said.

Meanwhile, President Isaac Herzog said in a statement that terrorism would not break Israelis’ spirit.

“I bow my head in memory of the victim murdered in the terror attack,” said Herzog. “I share wholeheartedly in the grief of his family and community and pray for the recovery of the wounded.”

“On the eve of this sacred festival, let it be stated clearly: Terror will not break us, and it will not shake our spirit,” he continued. “We will stand against terror together, united, resolute, and full of faith.”

Liberman: IDF must ‘flatten’ terrorist’s village

Avigdor Liberman, chair of the hawkish opposition Yisrael Beytenu party, wrote on X that “the IDF must enter the village the terrorist came from and flatten it,” adding: “We must impose a heavy cost — there is no forgiveness for terrorism.”

Former prime minister Naftali Bennett, who heads the opposition Together party, wrote on X: “Israelis need to be safe everywhere in our land. We must get to the terrorist and those who sent him, and eradicate terrorism with an iron fist.”

And Gadi Eisenkot, chair of Yashar, the leading opposition party, wrote that “we will continue to pursue those who seek our harm, everywhere and at all times,” adding that “an entire nation’s heart aches at this difficult time.”

Shots fired, alleged stone-throwing in East Jerusalem

Police said shots were also fired in East Jerusalem’s Silwan, after “a group of youths that passed through the area” was allegedly pelted with stones and one person “fired shots in the air to get the suspects away.”

No one was injured, police said, adding that officers on the scene were carrying out “widespread scans to locate the suspects and other findings.”

The statement did not specify the nationality of the youths or the suspects.

Footage from the scene, in Silwan’s Wadi Hilweh neighborhood, showed Jewish youths admonishing officers for questioning them instead of going after people off camera who the youths claimed had hurled stones.

جولات استفزازية لمستوطنين بحماية قوات الاحتلال خلال اقتحامهم حي وادي حلوة في سلوان. pic.twitter.com/HcOJNDpaoz

— شبكة فلسطين للحوار (@paldf) September 20, 2026

Violence in the West Bank has soared since the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack on Israel triggered the Gaza war.

Sixty-seven civilians and Israeli security personnel have been killed in terror attacks in Israel and the West Bank. Another eight members of the Israeli security forces were killed in clashes during raids in Palestinian cities in the West Bank.

During the same period, more than 1,100 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli forces or settlers since the war started, according to the PA health ministry. 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.

The same period has also seen a major surge in attacks by settler extremists on Palestinians and their property across the West Bank. The IDF recorded 867 incidents of nationalistic crime and settler violence in 2025. The total for 2024 was 682 incidents.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.