At least four Israelis are dead and four others wounded after three Palestinian Authority terrorists opened fire at a gas station on Highway 60 next to the Jewish community of Eli, in the Binyamin Region, according to the Magen David Adom (MDA) emergency medical response service.
The attackers arrived at the Eli gas station with their vehicle, according to a report by Israel Hayom. One terrorist entered the “Hummus Eliyahu” restaurant there, and opened fire. The shooter, identified as 25-year-old Muhanad Shahada, then left the restaurant, still firing until he was shot and killed by an armed civilian.
The masked terrorists were armed with M16 assault rifles, security sources said. They abandoned a vehicle in which knives were found after a search.
דובר צה”ל:
בהמשך לדיווח, מחבלים הגיעו לתחנת דלק סמוך ליישוב עלי בחטיבת בנימין ופתחו בירי. נקבע מותם של ארבעה אזרחים. מספר אזרחים נוספים נפצעו.
אזרח שהיה במקום ניטרל את אחד המחבלים, כוחות צה”ל ממשיכים במרדף אחר חשודים נוספים והציבו חסמים במרחב. https://t.co/suyoJxVj31
— בז news (@1717Bazz) June 20, 2023
The second terrorist fled the area towards Shechem in a taxi. He was tracked down by elite IDF Yamam special forces and Shin Bet personnel and killed about two hours later near the village of Tubas, in an area north of Shechem.
רגעי חיסול המחבל ע’י לוחמי הימ”מ ב-טובאס pic.twitter.com/35yFzxerg6
— בז news (@1717Bazz) June 20, 2023
“During the arrest attempt the suspect tried to escape from the vehicle, was shot, and neutralized by the forces,” the IDF said.
Victims Taken to Jerusalem, Petach Tikvah Hospitals
Eight Israelis were shot by the terrorists. In addition to those who were murdered, one victim was listed in critical condition, two were listed in fair condition and one was listed in good condition, MDA reported. All of the victims were taken by MDA medical ICU ambulances to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem and Beilinson Medical Center in Petach Tikvah.
United Hatzalah volunteer paramedics Aviah Chaim and Yoni Rosenfeld said the deaths of four victims were declared following resuscitation attempts that were unsuccessful.
“In addition, we provided initial treatment to four more people who suffered from gunshot wounds. Due to the nature of the incident, United Hatzalah’s Psychotrauma and Crisis Response Unit also treated a number of people for emotional shock,” the medics said.
One of the victims who was seriously injured by gunshots at the gas station was brought to MDA medics at the entrance to the community. “He was fully conscious and in pain. We moved him quickly to the MICU and evacuated him to Beilinson Hospital while providing life-saving treatment including a tourniquet and drug therapy to stabilize his condition,” MDA paramedic Liz Goral said.
Hamas Takes Responsibility, Palestinian Authority Arabs Celebrate
Both attackers were members of Gaza’s ruling Hamas terrorist organization, which has multiple satellite branches throughout the Palestinian Authority territories.
According to an identity card held by Shahada, the first attacker to be eliminated, he was a resident of the nearby town of Huwara, a terrorist hotbed where multiple Israelis have been shot and killed in recent months.
However, the IDF as well as Arab media said that both were living in the village of Urif, near Shechem.
The second terrorist was identified by Arab media as Khaled Mustafa Sabah.
Hamas, backed by Iran, claimed responsibility for the deadly attack. A spokesman for the Iranian proxy group, Hazem Qassem said the deadly shooting attack was a “response to the crimes of the occupation in the Jenin camp yesterday and the storming of Al Aqsa Mosque.”
Palestinian Authority Arabs in the nearby city of Shechem and elsewhere around the region celebrated in response to news of the attack, distributing candies and other sweets to passersby to mark the murders.
“This kind of incitement and hate leads to horrific terrorist attacks like the one we saw near Eli today,” Israel’s Foreign Ministry warned in a statement.
‘Put An End to This’
Eli Mayor Ariel Elmeliach called on the government to “continue to hit these terrorists at every location. It cannot be that they can show up outside our backyard, simply murder our residents and other Israelis. Put an end to this story.”
Elmeliach urged the government to launch “a new Operation Guardian of the Walls,” declaring, “The time has come to end this.”
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir traveled to the scene of the attack, his office said.
A spokesperson for Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said the minister was being briefed on the details of the attack and was receiving updates on the efforts to apprehend the attackers.
Gallant began an operational situation assessment at 6 pm together with IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, Shin Bet (ISA) Director Ronen Bar and additional senior officials in Israel’s defense establishment to discuss the attack.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected to enter a security situation assessment this evening as well, according to Israel’s Channel 14 News.
