At least one Israeli was killed, two others were seriously wounded, and at least two others were lightly wounded in a shooting near Gilad Farm, a settlement located southwest of Nablus in the northern West Bank, on Friday morning.
A number of Israelis were hiking in the area when they were attacked by Palestinians who encountered them, the IDF confirmed.
The murdered Israeli was identified as 32-year-old Benayahu Melet, a member of Gilad Farm’s emergency response squad who was killed after attempting to aid hikers under assault by Palestinians.
He leaves behind a wife and two daughters, aged 13 and 12, respectively.
The IDF conducted a manhunt for the terrorist, locating and killing him after the shooting incident.
The head of Gilad Farm’s emergency response squad responded to the incident, along with other squad members. At approximately 8:20 a.m., reports were received of a gunshot wound after Palestinians stole the weapon of the emergency response squad chief and fired at the Israelis, Walla learned.
The IDF seized and returned the stolen weapon after killing the terrorist.
“The hike left Mount Bracha in the early morning when a group of approximately 60 hikers, including two guards armed with rifles, and several others with pistols, set off,” a member of the group told Walla.
“On the way, we stopped at a spring close to Sela Ridge. At around 7:05 a.m., the first incident occured when several Arabs from the village began trying to get us to leave by throwing rocks and attacking us with clubs,” they said.
“One of the hikers was injured in the face. We retreated and began walking towards Gilad Farm,” the group member added.
“At 8:05 a.m., the second clash occurred. Dozens of Arabs from the village began throwing stones at us. Arabs began surrounding the group from three sides, and at this point, two of the armed Israelis opened fire in self-defense,” they said.
“The Arabs continued to advance and surround the group, which was trying to descend the mountain. At this point, the number of Arabs in the area had already reached hundreds,” they continued.
“A few minutes later, a military jeep arrived at the scene. Two minutes later, two members of Gilad Farm’s emergency response squad arrived. They tried to repel the Arab crowd by firing a few shots in the air, but to no avail,” the witness said.
אנחנו מפרסמים כעת תיעוד מהרגעים הראשונים של הפיגוע בשומרון היום:
ניתן לראות את קבוצת המטיילים היהודים, בהם ילדים (לפי גורמי ביטחון – היו שם כ-30 ישראלים בערך), עומדים בפאתי הכפר הפלסטיני שאליו הגיעו לטייל, ובמרכז התיעוד – העימות שהתפתח בין עשרות פלסטינים מהכפר שיצאו לעבר… pic.twitter.com/GqM64H21sU
— דורון קדוש | Doron Kadosh (@Doron_Kadosh) July 24, 2026
“Unarmed civilians also tried to help defend the group, but soldiers pushed them back. During the rush, one of the Arabs, a sheikh from the village, grabbed the gun of one of the emergency response squad members and fired,” they stated.
Magen David Adom paramedics responded to the scene to treat the wounded. “We treated a 25-year-old man who suffered a gunshot wound to his upper body, but remained conscious,” a paramedic said.
“We provided him with medical treatment and evacuated him to be transported to a military helicopter in order to be evacuated to the hospital. He was in a stable condition,” the paramedic noted.
“Later, I assisted an IDF medical team, and together we provided medical treatment to a critically wounded, unconscious man, who suffered gunshot wounds to his body. After prolonged resuscitation efforts, we were forced to declare him dead,” the paramedic said.
Two of the wounded were evacuated to Sourasky Medical Center’s Ichilov Hospital, Tel Aviv, a hospital spokesperson confirmed.
One of the two is in critical condition, while the other suffered serious wounds, the spokesperson noted. United Hatzalah noted that the man in critical condition is approximately 30 years old, while the one with serious wounds is approximately 25 years old.
Two other Israelis were treated at the scene with minor wounds, United Hatzalah added
Netanyahu, Katz, Zamir hold meeting to discuss response to recurring terror threat in West Bank
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, and IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir held a discussion on ways to respond to the attack, the Prime Minister’s Office confirmed on Friday.
“We will act strongly against terrorists and their proxies, and we will not allow terrorism in Judea and Samaria to raise its head,” Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu and Katz issued a statement on Friday afternoon, issuing five orders.
Firstly, to demolish the house of the terrorist responsible for the shooting near Tell village that killed Melet. Secondly, to take strong counterterrorism steps in villages that are “hotbeds of terror,” including by collecting weapons, revoking work permits, and more.
Thirdly, by reinforcing IDF deployment throughout the West Bank. Fourth, by establishing checkpoints, and fifth, by accelerating the regulation of farms and establishing new farms.
Netanyahu and Katz emphasized that security forces, including the IDF, must be allowed to act freely and with full force against terrorism, and to refrain from any action that could harm their activities or divert them from their “central mission” of protecting Israeli citizens and defeating terrorism.
This incident follows two stabbing attacks on Thursday, thereby marking the third terror attack in the West Bank within a 24-hour period.
As such, Zamir held a situational assessment with IDF Central Command Chief Maj.-Gen. Avi Bluth and Operations Directorate Chief Maj.-Gen. Itzik Cohen.
Zamir ordered the mobilization of IDF reinforcements to help secure the area and prevent copycat terror attacks, the military confirmed.
This includes a company from the Nahal Brigade’s Reconnaissance Battalion, two companies from the General Staff’s Infantry Regiment, and two companies from the IDF’s Commando Training School, The Jerusalem Post learned.
Two other battalions have been added to the regional patrols over the past two weeks, and a Commando company was also added last weekend, the Post learned.
According to military officials, the attacks came after a tense period marked by a high volume of security warnings. At the same time, a series of fires that burned large swaths of land intensified friction between Israelis and Palestinians in the West Bank, particularly around the farming outposts. The IDF is now concerned that additional attacks targeting Israeli soldiers and civilians could follow.
At the same time, footage published on Friday showed a large group of settlers, many of them masked, running toward the village of Jit. The incident occurred only hours after the attack at Gilad Farm in the West Bank.
Additionally, Walla has learned that a broad operational campaign is expected to begin across all regional brigades in the coming hours. The activity will focus on arresting wanted suspects and individuals sought for questioning, as well as conducting operations in known friction points. The main effort will center on the city of Nablus and the wider Samaria region.
According to security officials, Thursday’s attack, in which Itamar Cohen, who is considered a prominent figure in the area, was seriously wounded, could trigger acts of nationalist crime against Palestinians. The IDF, Border Police, and Israel Police are preparing for that possibility as well.
At least one person was injured in a rock-throwing incident on Friday near Gilad Farm following reports of hundreds of settlers marching throughout the West Bank’s Areas A and B.
Herzog, Ben-Gvir, Smotrich, other Israeli leaders react to terror attack
“We must stand united and resolute, and must not allow terror to prevail,” President Isaac Herzog said.
“The heart breaks upon hearing the news of Melet’s death,” he added.
“The cities and villages of the murderers in Judea and Samaria are to be judged like Beit Hanun in the Gaza Strip,” National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said.
“I am on my way to meet Netanyahu for a meeting where I will demand that the IDF be ordered to use air power and D9 bulldozers to erase the homes of terrorists and their supporters, and to exact from the terrorists the price they deserve,” he added.
“For every Jew who is murdered, the enemy must absorb the loss of lands and homes. This is the language spokes in the Middle East, and the time has come to speak it in Judea and Samaria, just as we did in the Gaza Strip,” he stated.
Finance Minister and Religious Zionist Party leader Bezalel Smotrich also responded.
“A tough morning. I send my heartfelt condolences to the family of the murdered, pray for the recovery of the wounded in the attack, and embrace the residents and hikers,” he said.
“We will not normalize the erosion of deterrence and the brazenness of our enemies in recent weeks against the pioneers of settlement and the farms. I demand that the IDF act with an iron fist against the village of the murderers and its surroundings and restore governance and deterrence,” he added.
“The people of the farms and the heroic settlement pioneers are the defensive wall of the State of Israel. We will continue to strengthen and honor them for their steadfast stand for our existence in the Land of Israel against Arab terrorism,” he stated.
“Palestinian terrorism will not achieve its goal; we will continue to deepen our hold on our land – the land of Israel,” Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said.
“The incident is still ongoing. There are still people in danger. Terror will not break us. The response must be offensive: We must relentlessly pursue the terrorists and strike terrorism with full force. At the same time, we must continue to build, develop, and strengthen the communities in Samaria. Anyone who tries to harm us should know that they will be met with a stronger and larger Samaria,” Samaria Regional Council Head Yossi Dagan said.
“I demand that the government launch a large-scale military operation against the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, who are trying to ignite a wave of terrorism here. We’ve seen it over the past week. We expect the government and the military leadership to carry out a major operation, a real military campaign, in Samaria, here near Gilad Farm, to make it clear that Israel has changed the rules of the game and will not tolerate a wave of terrorism,” Dagan added.
“Attack after attack. Our hearts are with our brothers at Gilad Farm on this difficult morning,” former prime minister Naftali Bennett said.
“Sending heartfelt condolences to the family of the murdered, and praying for the recovery of the wounded. The entire people of Israel stand with the IDF and the security forces in their war against the murderers and their senders. The terror must be eradicated with an iron fist,” Bennett added.
“Combating terrorism requires a systematic security policy, enforcement, and harsh strikes against anyone who attempts to harm Israeli citizens,” former IDF chief Gadi Eisenkot said.
“I trust in the security forces in their pursuit of the terrorist and wish strength to the residents of the area at this difficult time,” he continued, adding that he shares in the grief of the murdered Israeli’s family and wishes for a speedy recovery to the wounded.
“The shocking attack this morning, which joins yesterday’s attack and the wave of fires and repeated arsons, illustrates that these are not isolated incidents but planned and ongoing terrorism,” Mateh Binyamin Regional Council Head Israel Ganz said.
“The area is literally burning,” he stated.
“The wave of arsons, attempted attacks and the ongoing incitement by the Palestinian Authority are part of a single campaign aimed at harming the settlement and the citizens of Israel,” he added.
“Judea and Samaria is not a secondary arena. It is a central front of the State of Israel, and the policy here must change accordingly, by launching a broad operation against the centers of terror, exacting a heavy price from anyone involved in terrorism or incitement, and stopping treating these attacks as routine,” Ganz said.
“We pray for the full recovery of the wounded and wish strength to the security forces, IDF, and pioneering farmers who stand on the front lines and protect Israeli citizens with their bodies every day,” he stated.
Far Right MK blames IDF for failing to stop terror attack
Otzma Yehudit MK Limor Son Har-Melech blamed the IDF for allowing the incident to happen.
“The weakness” of IDF Central Command Chief Maj.-Gen. Avi Bluth, and Judea and Samaria Division Chief Brig.-Gen. Kobi Heller with regard to defending West Bank residents “has cost us in precious blood,” she wrote on X.
“The message to soldiers has gotten through, and in recent events, many of them are afraid to respond with determination,” she added.
“While Bluth and Heller are waging a stubborn battle against pioneering Jews [settlers], deploying IDF soldiers despite all our warnings, the Arab enemy is lifting its head and intensifying the terror. Another October 7 is at the door. You have been warned,” she stated.
“A group of Jewish hikers, who set out every Friday to hike in Judea and Samaria, has become a target of terror today,” Yisrael Beytenu leader and former defense minister Avigdor Liberman said.
“This is a loss of control. A normal country does not accept a reality in which its citizens go out to hike in their own land, and terrorists open fire on them,” he added.
“Against terror, there is no room for hesitation, stammering, or tolerance. Terror understands only strength, determination, and an iron fist!” he stated, sending condolences to the family of the murdered Israeli and wishing a speedy recovery to the wounded.
Several Palestinians killed, wounded at scene, Ramallah’s Health Ministry claims
At least four Palestinians were killed by the IDF and four others wounded at the scene, including three in critical condition, the Palestinian Health Ministry claimed. The IDF has not commented on this at the time of writing.
Essam Saifi, a local leader in the Palestinian Fatah party from the area, told Reuters in a phone call that about 25 to 30 Jewish settlers initially attacked the area and tried to break into two houses there. The residents came out to confront them, and the settlers opened fire, Saifi said.
Half an hour later, Saifi said, the Israelis returned and attacked the western part of the town, striking a minor with a weapon. This caused chaos, and then the Israeli military arrived and started shooting, along with the settlers, Saifi told Reuters.
Amir Bohbot, Efrat Forsher, and Reuters contributed to this report.
