Rabbi, teen hitchhiker killed in terror shooting at West Bank gas station
Yitzhak Zeiger, 57-year-old father of 3, slain while pumping gas near settlement of Eli, along with Uria Hartum, 16; gunman, named as PA cop, shot dead at scene by restaurateur
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
Two Israelis were killed when a Palestinian terrorist opened fire at a gas station in the West Bank on Thursday afternoon before being shot and killed by the proprietor of a nearby business on leave from fighting in Gaza, the military and medics said.
The attack, the second deadly shooting at the spot outside the settlement of Eli since June, comes as security tensions around the West Bank have risen ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, even as the military remains focused on fighting in Gaza and escalating skirmishes on the northern border.
The Magen David Adom ambulance service said two men were found shot dead at the gas station shortly after 5 p.m. one on the side of the road and one in a car.
The victims were named as Rabbi Yitzhak Zeiger, 57, a father of three and a resident of Shavei Shomron in the West Bank, and Uria Hartum, a 16-year-old high school student from the settlement of Dolev who had been hitching a ride with Zeiger.
Zeiger, a volunteer with paramedic and rescue services organizations, was filling the car with gasoline when he was shot and killed, though he attempted to return fire, according to local authorities.
Hartum was killed as he sat inside the car.
The Israel Defense Forces said the assailant, later identified as a Palestinian Authority policeman, was shot dead at the scene by the owner of a nearby hummus restaurant.
Aviad Gazbar, who said he had recently returned from reserve duty in the Gaza Strip, told media at the scene that he “heard shots” while visiting the hummus restaurant.
“I fired a bullet so that the terrorist would know I was here. I saw that he saw me, and he started charging towards me, I took him down and continued scanning,” he added.
Images showed that the terrorist was armed with an assault rifle.
מחמד מנאצרה, קצין חקירות ברש'פ, סרן, תושב קלנדיה
המחבל מעלי. pic.twitter.com/nqVOsC1r7j
— Baruch Yedid, ברוך ידיד, باروخ يديد (@BaruchYedid) February 29, 2024
The Shin Bet security agency identified the assailant as Muhammad Manasra, 31, an officer in the Palestinian Authority’s police, from the West Bank’s Qalandiya refugee camp near Jerusalem.
According to the Shin Bet, Manasra was jailed between 2018 and 2019 for weapons offenses.
Earlier Friday, the Israel Defense Forces said troops began mapping Manasra’s home ahead of its expected demolition.
Suspected infiltration alarms sounded in Eli following the terror attack, amid fears of additional gunmen in the area. Residents were ordered to remain in their homes for about half an hour before an all-clear was given.
“The troops are blocking roads and conducting a pursuit after additional suspects in the area,” the IDF said initially.
The attack took place at the same location as a deadly terror assault in June in which four Israelis were killed.
Tensions in Israel and the West Bank have been high since October 7, when some 3,000 terrorists burst through the Gaza border into Israel in a Hamas-led attack, killing at least 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and seizing 253 hostages.
Israel responded with an aerial campaign and subsequent ground operation with the goal of destroying Hamas and ending its 16-year rule over Gaza and securing the release of the hostages.
Security officials have expressed fears that the security situation in the West Bank could deteriorate around Ramadan, which is set to begin around March 10.
Even before October 7, tensions had been raised in the West Bank, with Israeli forces carrying out nightly raids in the northern West Bank against increasingly emboldened Palestinian terror groups.
The Israeli campaign has ramped up following October 7, with airstrikes and heavy gunbattles becoming increasingly common.
Since October 7, the IDF has said troops have arrested some 3,400 wanted Palestinians across the West Bank, including more than 1,500 affiliated with Hamas.
