Two Israelis murdered in Samaria terror attack

IDF troops eliminated the gunman immediately after the shooting and recovered the stolen weapon.

By World Israel News Staff

Two Israelis were killed Friday morning in a terror attack near the Palestinian village of Tell in Samaria, including an IDF officer and a member of Havat Gilad’s local security team who had rushed to assist Israeli hikers attacked in the area.

The first victim was identified as Benayahu Malet, 32, a member of Havat Gilad’s local security team and the community’s agricultural coordinator. Malet, a father of two, is survived by his wife, Esther, and their daughters, ages 12 and 13.

Later Friday, the IDF cleared for publication that Maj. Yuval Ezra, 27, of Herzliya, a battery commander in the Artillery Corps’ 411th Battalion, was killed during operational activity near Tell.

According to the IDF, the incident began when Israeli civilians hiking near Tell came under attack. Security personnel and IDF troops were dispatched to the area in response.

During the incident, a terrorist stole the weapon of a security team member who had arrived at the scene and opened fire at the Israelis, killing Malet and Ezra and wounding several others.

IDF troops eliminated the gunman immediately after the shooting and recovered the stolen weapon, the military said.

Following the attack, additional forces were deployed throughout Samaria and security forces launched operations to locate anyone else involved. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir ordered significant reinforcements to strengthen security in the region and directed troops to apprehend all those involved in the attack.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz subsequently ordered a series of measures across Judea and Samaria following consultations with senior security officials.

The measures include demolishing the terrorist’s home, intensified operations in villages identified as terror hotspots, weapons seizures and the revocation of Israeli work permits. The government also ordered additional troop deployments, increased checkpoints and separation of traffic routes, as well as an acceleration of efforts to authorize existing Jewish agricultural farms and establish new ones.

“We will act forcefully against the terrorists and those who send them, and we will not allow terrorism in Judea and Samaria to raise its head,” Netanyahu said.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir called for an even tougher response, declaring that “the fate of the cities and villages of the murderers in Judea and Samaria should be the same as Beit Hanoun in Gaza.”

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich similarly called on the IDF to act forcefully, warning against what he described as an erosion of deterrence amid a series of attacks targeting Jewish communities and farms.

Friday’s deadly shooting comes amid a sharp increase in violence in Samaria. On Thursday, an Israeli was critically wounded after being stabbed while attempting to extinguish a fire allegedly set by Palestinians near a farm outside Elon Moreh. Hours later, another suspected stabbing attack near Ganim in northern Samaria left a young Israeli lightly wounded.

Havat Gilad itself was devastated by a major fire last weekend that forced approximately 100 families to evacuate and damaged more than 30 buildings, along with vehicles and infrastructure. Two Palestinian suspects were subsequently arrested, and authorities later determined there were reasonable grounds to believe the blaze resulted from a hostile act.