Israeli troops on Saturday shot and killed a suspected Palestinian terrorist in the West Bank village of Burqin, as security forces continue to search for the gunman who killed Tzeela Gez earlier this week in a shooting attack near the settlement of Bruchin.
The Israel Defense Forces said it is investigating whether the man killed in Burqin was responsible for the deadly shooting. If confirmed, it would bring an end to the ongoing manhunt.
Gez, a mother of three who was pregnant with her fourth child, was fatally shot Wednesday night as she and her husband were driving to the hospital for the delivery. Her husband, Chananel Gez, was lightly wounded in the attack. Doctors delivered the baby via emergency procedure and transferred him to Schneider Children's Medical Center in Petah Tikva. The hospital said Saturday the infant remains in serious but stable condition, with slight improvement reported.
In the days since the attack, the army has sealed off Burqin and launched an extensive search operation. Palestinian reports on Saturday said Israeli forces surrounded a house in the village and “clashed” with a man who was later taken to an undisclosed location.
The IDF conducted large-scale clearing operations around Bruchin, including engineering work that resulted in a burst water pipe. Troops also carried out searches in Burqin under a military lockdown.
The military and Shin Bet domestic security agency have focused their efforts on intelligence gathering, including surveillance footage and other tracking methods. On Thursday, a specialized IDF unit trained in field evidence collection was deployed to the area.
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Unlike in previous cases where attackers fled to northern West Bank refugee camps such as Jenin and Nur Shams, those camps were largely empty on Friday. Israeli troops entered the camps, made arrests, and apprehended several known terrorists, the military said.