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A suspected Palestinian gunman opened fire from his vehicle at Israelis gathered at a spring near the settlement of Neve Tzuf close to Ramallah on September 20. Medics who reached the scene found a man in a car with critical gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead upon arrival at a hospital according to Israeli police. The incident occurred as Israelis prepared for the start of Yom Kippur that evening.
Israeli police said the gunman was located a few hours later at a hospital in Ramallah where he was arrested without further incident. The military and police described the attack as coming from a vehicle that approached the group at the spring. Reuters reported the details based on statements from both the Israeli military and police.
In a separate development that day the Israeli military said its forces eliminated a Palestinian driver near the settlement of Ganim further north in the West Bank. The military described the driver as attempting to ram soldiers though no Israeli troops were injured in the encounter. Reuters stated it was unable to independently verify the soldiers’ account of the ramming attempt.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directed security agencies to reinforce their forces in the area and to pursue arrests together with offensive operations after the two events. The incidents took place on the eve of the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur though it was not immediately clear if the episodes were linked. Palestinian militant group Hamas praised the shooting while stopping short of claiming responsibility for it.
Reuters reported that violence across the occupied West Bank has escalated markedly since Hamas carried out its October 7 2023 attack on Israel and the ensuing Israeli military offensive in Gaza. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has tracked a sustained increase in Palestinian attacks on Israelis as well as in settler violence against Palestinian communities. OCHA data places the number of settler attacks causing casualties or property damage above 1 000 in the first seven months of 2026 marking the highest pace on record according to the agency.
According to OCHA figures more than 300 Palestinians including dozens of children have been killed in the West Bank since the start of 2025 while at least 20 Israelis have died in related violence during the same period. The agency has also documented repeated incidents of settler arson and property destruction that have displaced hundreds of Palestinians this year. Israeli raids and Palestinian attacks have continued at an elevated rate throughout 2026.
