A twenty-year-old civilian was critically wounded in the afternoon (Thursday) in a combined shooting and stabbing attack at the Rami Levi shopping complex at the Gush Etzion junction. He was later pronounced dead.
The victim was later identified as Shalev Zevuloni, aged 22, from Kiryat Arba.
The two terrorists who perpetrated the attack were eliminated at the scene by security forces and armed civilians.
Preliminary investigation indicates that the two terrorists arrived at the compound armed with knives and attacked an Israeli security guard. They stabbed him in the upper body. Magen David Adom (MDA) teams attempted to save his life but had to declare him dead.
According to eyewitnesses at the scene of the attack, the terrorists entered the parking lot and began to open fire at the shopping center. In response, armed citizens returned fire and neutralized them.
The IDF later confirmed that the terrorists fired shots as well. It is suspected that the terrorists stole the security guard's handgun after stabbing him and used it to open fire.
The IDF stated that soldiers are currently encircling Halhul and establishing roadblocks in the area.
MDA Paramedic Achiad Goharyan, who was the first to arrive at the scene, recounted: "We received a report about a man injured in a shooting attack and immediately dispatched large forces to the scene. We found a young man, about 20 years old, lying unconscious, without a pulse or breathing, with gunshot wounds on his body. We carried out medical examinations, but unfortunately, his injuries were severe, and we were forced to pronounce him dead."
Tzvi Barkai, Head of Gush Etzion Branch at United Hatzalah, and EMT Ashriel Glaser reported: “We arrived at the scene of a security incident at the Gush Etzion junction. Unfortunately, the death of a young adult, approximately 20 years old, has been confirmed due to the severe nature of the injuries sustained. Additionally, United Hatzalah Psychotrauma teams are operating at the scene due to the nature of the incident.”
MDA EMT Avraham Zeibald said, "This was a horrific shooting attack scene. We arrived with large Magen David Adom teams, and there was chaos and panic at the location. As we approached the scene, we saw a man around 20 years old lying unconscious, with no pulse and not breathing, suffering from very severe gunshot wounds to his body. We quickly performed medical examinations, but sadly, we had to pronounce him dead at the scene. Additional MDA teams provided medical treatment to people suffering from anxiety who were present at the location."
Following the attack, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with the head of the Gush Etzion Regional Council, Yaron Rosenthal.
Netanyahu offered words of support to the council head and the residents, and extended condolences on behalf of himself and his wife to the family of the victim of the brutal shooting attack, as well as wishes for a swift recovery to the wounded.
"The Prime Minister praised the civilians and security forces who acted with great resourcefulness and eliminated the vile terrorists, and said that terror in Judea and Samaria will not be allowed to raise its head," his office said in a statement.
