Two days after the deadly attack near the settlement of Bruchin in the West Bank, in which Tzeela Gez was killed, the IDF and Shin Bet continue their efforts to capture the terrorist. The attacker opened fire from a concealed area near the road where the Gez couple was driving, then fled the scene.
Meanwhile, Schneider Children’s Medical Center reported a slight improvement in the condition of the newborn delivered after the attack, though the baby remains in serious but stable condition.
The military has cleared much of the terrain surrounding the road near the Palestinian village of Bruchin, and forces continue to sweep the area, which is now under lockdown. Footage from the scene shows extensive and unusual engineering work to expose the terrain, during which a water pipe exploded.
Footage from the route the terrorist arrived
The main focus of the operation is intelligence gathering. Since the terror attack, the Shin Bet and IDF have been collecting footage from surveillance cameras and employing various intelligence methods.
Unlike in past cases where terrorists fled to refugee camps in the northern West Bank and found shelter, the camps are currently empty, with IDF soldiers present, carrying out arrests and targeting known terrorists. Security forces are now waiting for the terrorist to make a mistake and have warned anyone considering helping him escape.
Overnight, several nationalist crime incidents were reported across the West Bank. Near the site of the attack, 12 Palestinian vehicles were torched, and a Molotov cocktail was thrown at a house in the village of Deir Istiya.
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Additional clashes between Israelis and Palestinians occurred in the Judea and Binyamin regions. On Thursday, settlers set fire to a Palestinian bulldozer on the outskirts of Bruchin. Security officials say the situation is relatively under control, especially in light of the severe attack, but they are placing heavy emphasis on preventing further escalation in the area.
In the attack, which took place Wednesday night, Tzeela Gez’s husband, Hanan’el, was also wounded and was discharged from the hospital on Thursday in light condition. The couple had been on their way to the delivery room for the birth of their fourth child.
Doctors delivered the baby at the hospital and transferred the infant, while performing resuscitation efforts, to Schneider Medical Center. At the same time, medical teams fought to save Tzeela’s life but were ultimately forced to pronounce her dead.