A 60-year-old man was killed Tuesday afternoon in a combined vehicle-ramming and stabbing attack at the Gush Etzion junction. Medics from Magen David Adom, together with an IDF medical team, pronounced him dead at the scene.
A 55-year-old woman was seriously wounded and suffered gunshot injuries, and officials are examining whether she was hit by fire during the shooting that stopped the attackers. A 30-year-old man and a 15-year-old boy were moderately hurt. All were taken to Shaare Zedek Medical Center and Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem.
The two assailants, identified by Palestinian reports as Walid Sabarneh of Beit Omar and Amran al-Atrash of Hebron, were killed. A preliminary investigation found that they likely tried to run over pedestrians before getting out of their vehicle, drawing knives and stabbing people. Civilians and reservists from the IDF’s 7491 Battalion opened fire. The IDF said several explosive devices were found in the attackers’ car, though they were initially suspected to be improvised bombs.
Following the attack, the IDF encircled villages in the Etzion Brigade area amid concerns in the security establishment about possible revenge attacks or violent raids by extremist Israeli Jews on Palestinian villages in the northern West Bank. Police Commissioner Danny Levy arrived at the scene.
MDA paramedic Uriel Lavi said crews encountered “a complicated and unusual incident,” finding several victims with penetrating injuries. Senior medic Itzik Itach, who arrived while driving to a shift, described victims lying on the road up to 30 meters apart.
Dr. Sa’ar Hashavia of Hadassah Ein Kerem said the seriously wounded woman arrived in moderate to serious condition and was taken to surgery. Dr. Alon Schwartz, head of trauma at Shaare Zedek, said the two male victims were fully conscious and not in life-threatening condition.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid sent condolences to the victim’s family and voiced support for security forces. Israel Beytenu leader Avigdor Lieberman criticized the government, saying the attack stemmed from “weakness.” Former prime minister Naftali Bennett said the government bore responsibility for “a renewed escalation.”
First published: 14:09, 11.18.25