Aharon Cohen, 71, a long-time resident of Kiryat Arba, has been identified as the man who was murdered in the combined car‑ramming and stabbing attack carried out on Tuesday afternoon at the Gush Etzion Junction. A widower, he was a grandfather and father of six — Shlomi, Avishag, Hodia, Yosef, Chaviva and Lital. His funeral will take place at 9 p.m..
Two Palestinian terrorists from Hebron and the nearby town of Beit Omar were behind the attack. They were both armed with knives. In their car, hollow explosives were found, though they did not carry any explosive material, removing the fear that the vehicle was booby‑trapped.
Aharon Cohen, 71, a long-time resident of Kiryat Arba, has been identified as the man who was murdered this afternoon (Tuesday) in the combined ramming‑and‑stabbing attack at the צומת גוש עציון junction. A widower, he was a grandfather and father of six — Shlomi, Avishag, Hodia, Yosef, Chaviva and Lital. His photograph has not yet been published. His funeral will take place at 21:00.
Here’s how the attack unfolded, step by step:
Around 2 p.m.: the attackers arrived by car from the east toward the junction. They turned right toward Jerusalem and accelerated their vehicle toward the hitchhiking post, attempting to run over those present.
After the ramming: the two terrorists emerged from the car, each holding a knife. They tried to stab several people at the hitchhiking post, and wounded at least three. One person was murdered; two others were injured (one moderate, one light).
The neutralization: Immediately upon noticing the stabbings, soldiers present — together with civilians — acted to neutralize the terrorists. One soldier fired toward the pair and eliminated them. It is suspected that during the shooting a civilian Israeli woman also was hit; her condition upon arrival at the hospital was defined as moderate‑to‑severe. The incident continues to be investigated.
Vehicle scans: After the terrorists were killed, security forces scanned the Suzuki car used in the ramming attempt. Hollow charges were found inside the vehicle, but they did not contain any explosive material.
Site immediately after attack at Gush Etzion Juncion
The wounded from the attack were evacuated to the Shaare Zedek Medical Center and Hadassah Medical Center-Ein Karem in Jerusalem. Also present at the scene was Police Commissioner General Dani Levy. In parallel, IDF forces encircled the nearby villages, and sealed all entrances and exits to the cities of Bethlehem and Hebron.
According to Palestinian sources, the terrorists who carried out the attack are identified as Walid Sabarneh from Beit Omar and Amran al‑Atrash from Hebron. According to an initial investigation, civilians and reservist soldiers from Battalion 7491, who identified the attackers, opened fire and neutralized them.
Following the attack, the security establishment heightened forces from the IDF and Israel Police, which are preparing for the possibility of revenge attacks or violent raids by extremist Jews against Palestinian villages in Samaria.
First published: 18:45, 11.18.25