At least one person was killed and several wounded in central Israel, according to emergency responders, as police said they were investigating the shooting as a suspected terror attack.
Israel’s Magen David Adom (MDA) said a man in his 30s was shot and killed at a gas station in Kochav Yair, a town that sits on the Green Line demarcating Israel from the occupied West Bank. Five other people across at least three separate scenes were also wounded, MDA said in a statement, including two in serious condition.
Police said they “neutralized” a suspect after locating a vehicle they believe was involved in the shooting. Police often used the term “neutralized” to denote killing a suspect. Security forces carried out additional searches in the area to see if there were any others involved in the attack.
An Israeli security source said the suspect was an Israeli citizen from Tayibe, an Arab town just north of Kochav Yair.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a situation assessment following the attack, according to a statement from his office.
Following the shooting, far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for “profound change” among Israel’s Arab citizens and a crackdown on illegal weapons in the community. “The equation is simple: whoever accepts the state’s sovereignty will live here in peace,” Smotrich said. “Whoever chooses the path of terror will have their blood on their own head.”
Hamas praised the attack, claiming it comes as a response to “the occupation’s ongoing aggression against the Gaza Strip” and “assaults that affect our people daily in the West Bank and Jerusalem.”
