Date: September 20, 2026
Reporter: Emilly Jordan
RAMALLAH — Violence escalated in the occupied West Bank on Sunday when a suspected Palestinian gunman shot and killed an Israeli man near a settlement north of Ramallah, while Israeli soldiers separately killed a Palestinian motorist whom the military said had attempted to ram troops with his vehicle.
The two incidents occurred on the eve of Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, and came amid heightened tensions across the West Bank. It was not immediately clear whether the incidents were connected.
According to Israeli police and the military, the suspected Palestinian gunman opened fire from a vehicle at Israelis gathered near a spring close to the settlement of Neve Tzuf, also known as Halamish, in the Ramallah area. An Israeli man was critically wounded in the shooting and was taken for medical treatment, where he later died. Israeli authorities later identified the victim as a 30-year-old man.
Israeli security forces launched a search for the suspected attacker following the shooting. Police said he was found several hours later at a hospital in Ramallah and arrested. Israeli authorities said he had been injured while fleeing the scene.
The second fatal incident occurred farther north in the West Bank near the settlement of Ganim. The Israeli military said a Palestinian driver attempted to ram soldiers with his vehicle and that troops killed him. The military said no soldiers were injured in the incident. Reuters said it was not immediately able to independently verify the military's account of the alleged attempted ramming.
The circumstances surrounding the second incident remained under investigation, including the precise sequence of events and whether the driver had deliberately attempted to attack the soldiers. Palestinian sources and Israeli authorities provided differing accounts of the broader security situation, while Reuters noted that the military's account could not immediately be independently verified.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to the violence by saying he had instructed the country's security agencies to increase their forces in the area. He also ordered security operations that included arrests and what his office described as offensive activities against those involved in attacks.
Hamas praised the shooting that killed the Israeli man but did not claim responsibility for the attack. The absence of a claim of responsibility meant there was no immediate confirmation that the suspected attacker belonged to the group or acted on its behalf.
The violence came as Israelis prepared for Yom Kippur, a major religious observance during which much of Israel traditionally shuts down. The timing added to security concerns, with Israeli forces maintaining heightened alert in parts of the West Bank.
The West Bank has experienced a significant increase in violence since the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel and Israel's subsequent military campaign in Gaza. The violence has included Palestinian attacks on Israelis, Israeli military raids and a rise in attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians, according to Reuters.
The latest incidents are part of a broader deterioration in security across the territory, where Israeli forces regularly conduct operations and Palestinians face continuing attacks and restrictions. The situation has remained particularly tense around settlements and Palestinian communities in the northern and central parts of the West Bank.
The shooting and the subsequent killing of the Palestinian motorist also came amid wider international efforts to address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Diplomatic attention has remained focused on the Gaza war and the broader regional conflict, while violence in the West Bank has continued to complicate prospects for a longer-term political settlement.
For now, Israeli authorities are investigating the shooting and the alleged attempted ramming attack separately. Officials have not established a connection between the two incidents, and the circumstances surrounding the second man's death remain subject to further investigation.