New details from the investigation into the deadly terrorist attack at the Ein Riya spring in the Binyamin region, in which Netanel (Nati) Shakron was murdered, indicate that the terrorist, 37-year-old Hamas operative Qadri Samara, had passed through the area of the spring a day before carrying out the terror attack.
According to the findings of the investigation, the terrorist took advantage of the fact that many people come to immerse in the spring near Neve Tzuf on the eve of Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement). He arrived at the scene in a vehicle and opened fire at Shakron's car. Shakron, a father of six from the community of Alei Zahav, was with his eldest son, 16, who was not injured.
During the attack, a tracker from the Binyamin Brigade was traveling in the area in an armored vehicle. The tracker returned fire at the terrorist and wounded him, preventing him from continuing to shoot and saving Shakron's son, who remained inside the vehicle.
The initial investigation indicates that the terrorist acted alone throughout the attack. After being wounded, he fled the scene and sought treatment at a clinic in Ramallah.
Security forces launched a manhunt, and Duvdevan fighters who arrived at the clinic located the terrorist lying in a bed and arrested him. Footage subsequently circulated on Palestinian Arab social media showing the soldiers surrounding his bed.
Following the attack, IDF forces also raided the town of Bidu, northwest of Jerusalem, where the terrorist lives. According to Palestinian Arab reports, the forces surrounded a mosque and detained dozens of people. Palestinian Arab sources claimed that approximately 50 people were detained and held in a home that the forces had taken over.
Shakron worked as an information systems analyst at Hachshara Insurance Company. He is survived by his wife, Meirav, and their six children. His eldest son, an 11th-grade student, was the son who was with him at the spring when the attack took place. His youngest son is four years old.
Netanel's funeral will take place this evening at 11:00 p.m.
The community of Alei Zahav eulogized him: "Netanel was a man of kindness, humble, modest, and beloved, a devoted husband to Meirav and a devoted father to his six children. The Shakron family is a longstanding and deeply rooted family in the community, an integral part of the Alei Zahav community. We are all embracing Meirav and the children and will stand by them during this difficult time and in whatever they may need. May his memory be blessed."
Just two hours before the start of Yom Kippur, during a closed meeting dealing with the security situation in Judea and Samaria, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir raised the issue of the death penalty for terrorists.
Ben Gvir argued that the current case is the first to meet the criteria for applying the law. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed interest in the issue and asked IDF representatives for clarification regarding whether it could be applied in this case.
The Military Advocate General did not participate in the meeting, while the IDF representatives who attended said that, from their perspective, there was no obstacle to doing so.
It was subsequently decided to convene an additional professional meeting of the narrow cabinet, this time with the participation of the Military Advocate General, for an in-depth examination of how to proceed and the possibility of applying the law.