Palestinian gunman shoots dead Israeli in the West Bank, soldiers kill motorist

Violence flared in the ​occupied West Bank on Sunday when ​a suspected Palestinian gunman shot dead ‌an Israeli ​man, police said, and Israeli soldiers killed a Palestinian motorist who the military said was attempting to run them over. The ‌gunman opened fire from his vehicle at Israelis gathered at a spring near the settlement of Neve Tzuf, near Ramallah, according to the Israeli military and police.

Medics who arrived at the scene ‌of the shooting said they found a man in a car suffering from critical ‌gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at hospital, police said. The gunman was located a few hours later at a hospital in Ramallah and arrested, police said.

Shortly after the shooting, the military said that its forces "eliminated" a ⁠Palestinian driver ​who had attempted ⁠a ramming attack on soldiers near the settlement of Ganim, further north in the West Bank. No soldiers were ⁠hurt, it said. Reuters was not able to immediately verify the soldiers' account. It was not clear whether ​the fatal incidents, on the eve of the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur, ⁠were connected.

Following the incidents, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had instructed security agencies to beef up their ⁠forces ​and carry out arrests and offensive activities in the area. Palestinian militant group Hamas praised the shooting attack but did not claim responsibility for it.

Violence has escalated in the ⁠West Bank since Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack on Israel and the ensuing Israeli military offensive in ⁠Gaza. The West ⁠Bank violence has included a sharp rise in attacks by militant settlers on Palestinians, as well as sweeping Israeli military raids and Palestinian ‌attacks on Israelis.