A pregnant Israeli woman was fatally shot in a terrorist attack in the northern occupied West Bank on Wednesday evening, Israeli authorities have confirmed.
Tzeela Gez, 30, was driving with her husband Hananel to the hospital for childbirth near their home in the Bruchin settlement when a gunman opened fire on their car. Mrs. Gez was critically wounded, while her husband sustained light injuries.
Medical teams performed an emergency caesarean section, delivering the baby, who remains in serious but stable condition. Despite efforts, doctors were unable to save Mrs. Gez’s life.
The Israeli military has launched a manhunt for the attacker, with troops reportedly surrounding the nearby Palestinian village of Bruqin following the shooting.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the attack, expressing deep shock and stating the contrast between those who “cherish and bring life” and the “despicable terrorists” who seek to kill.
Defence Minister Israel Katz ordered the military to identify those responsible and respond with “maximum force.”
No group has immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. However, Hamas praised the shooting as a “heroic” act in retaliation against what it describes as Israeli aggression in Gaza and the West Bank.
The incident comes amid a surge of violence in the West Bank since the outbreak of the Gaza war triggered by Hamas’s deadly assault on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
Israel has established roughly 160 settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 1967, housing around 700,000 settlers.
These settlements are widely considered illegal under international law, including by the International Court of Justice, though Israel disputes this characterization.
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