Palestinian armed with knife breaches West Bank settlement, is shot dead — IDF
Suspect from nearby village spotted climbing over community’s entrance gate; local guard opened fire after assailant rushed at him with knife, probe finds
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
A Palestinian terrorist armed with a knife who infiltrated a West Bank settlement on Saturday morning was shot dead by a local security officer, according to the military.
The incident began shortly after 6 am, when a siren warning of a terrorist infiltration was activated in the settlement of Negohot following the identification of a suspect climbing over the South Hebron Hills community’s entrance gate.
One of the settlement’s volunteer patrolmen reached the entrance gate within minutes, where he identified the suspect rushing toward him while brandishing a knife.
The armed civilian then opened fire, killing the assailant, according to an initial probe of the incident carried out by the Israeli Defense Forces.
There were no other injuries in the incident.
Palestinian media and Israeli security officials identified the suspect as Muhammad al-Suweiti, 25, from the nearby village of Fuqeiqis, west of the town of Dura.
???? الشهيد محمد أحمد أبو غالية السويطي (25 عاماً) الذي ارتقى برصاص الاحتلال في خربة سلامة غرب دورا جنوب غرب الخليل بالضفة الغربية، واحتاجز جثمانه
– قوات الاحتلال أطلقت الرصاص الحي صوب الشاب أبو غالية في خربة سلامة، بزعم محاولته الاقتراب من مستوطنة “نجوهوت” المقامة على أراضي… pic.twitter.com/7gFHUKuRkX
— وكالة شهاب للأنباء (@ShehabAgency) April 18, 2026
The Palestinian Authority’s Wafa news agency reported that Israeli authorities were holding Suweiti’s body.
Following the incident, the IDF said it had dispatched troops to carry out searches of the area.
After just over an hour, the military ruled out the possibility of further suspects, and the Home Front Command issued an all-clear in the settlement, allowing civilians to leave their homes.
Later in the morning, the IDF said it raided Suweiti’s home in Fuqeiqis.
According to the military, at the home of the terrorist, troops located a makeshift firearm and other military equipment, with which he “planned to carry out acts of terror against Israeli civilians and IDF troops.”
The IDF said that “in light of the findings,” Suweiti’s brother was detained at the scene and handed over to the Shin Bet security agency for interrogation.
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