A gunman opened fire on Israelis bathing at the Ein Raya spring in the central West Bank on September 20, the eve of Yom Kippur, killing Netanel Shukrun, 36, a father of six from the settlement of Alei Zahav, according to the Jerusalem Post and Haaretz. Shukrun was reported to have been visiting the spring with his son at the time of the attack.
Initial reports described the assailant firing from a red Mitsubishi SUV bearing Palestinian Authority license plates before exiting the vehicle, continuing the attack on foot, and fleeing the scene. The IDF said soldiers from its Duvdevan undercover counterterrorism unit, acting on intelligence from the Shin Bet security service and Israel Police, located and arrested the suspect approximately three hours later at a nearby hospital. The military did not, in the sources reviewed, disclose the suspect's identity, motive statement, or any organizational affiliation at the time of writing.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded by saying "no terrorist is immune, nor are those who assisted them," and that Israel "will hold them all accountable — in Gaza, in Lebanon, and in Judea and Samaria." He instructed Israeli security forces to send reinforcements into the West Bank and to impose closures and carry out arrests. Separately, and in what wire reporting described as part of the broader West Bank security posture rather than a direct response to this specific attack, the IDF detained 35 Palestinians in the West Bank village of al-Mughayyir and seized 15 vehicles.
The attack came as the IDF also reported killing three Hamas operatives, including two identified as October 7, 2023 participants, in strikes in Gaza over the weekend — the backdrop against which Netanyahu's multi-front "accountable" statement was made. No Palestinian Authority or Hamas statement responding specifically to the Ein Raya spring attack was available in the sources reviewed. This article will be updated as investigators release further detail on the suspect and any legal proceedings.