A female settler was killed and several others were seriously injured on Wednesday evening in a direct shooting attack at close range on Route 446 near the Israeli settlement of Ariel in the northern occupied West Bank. The attack was carried out by a resistance fighter who then withdrew from the scene.
Israeli public radio confirmed that a female occupant of the vehicle was killed instantly, while a male passenger sustained serious injuries. Israeli Channel 14 later reported that a third person was also wounded in the attack.
The Israeli occupation army confirmed that “the shooting occurred on Route 446 near Ariel,” adding that “the perpetrator opened fire from close range and fled.”
Breaking | Israeli media sources report that two Israeli settlers were injured, one critically, in a shooting operation west of Salfit in the occupied West Bank. pic.twitter.com/cw51YPSFoA
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) May 14, 2025
Israeli media reported that “following the attack, Israeli occupation army forces dispatched military reinforcements to the site of the attack west of Salfit and began a large-scale search of the area.” They continued, “The forces set up military checkpoints at the entrances to most towns in the Salfit Governorate, as part of tight security measures.”
Hamas Blesses Operation: A Heroic Act Representing the True Pulse of the West Bank
For its part, Hamas praised the operation, saying, “It is a heroic act that represents the true pulse of the West Bank.” It explained that “the operation reflects the spirit of resistance inherent in the people, who refuse to accept injustice and aggression and continue to respond to the crimes and malicious plans of the occupation aimed at controlling the land and displacing citizens for the sake of further occupation expansion.”
Hamas affirmed in a statement that “the shooting operation comes in response to the escalating crimes of the occupation and its ongoing aggression against the people of Gaza and the West Bank, and against prisoners and holy sites.” It called on “the masses of the West Bank to carry out further operations that will hurt the occupation and its settler gangs, and to unite behind the option of resistance and steadfastness in confronting the occupation and its arrogance.”
Abu Obeida Blesses the Operation: To Revolt Against the Occupation
Abu Obeida, the military spokesman for the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, also blessed the operation, saying, “We bless the heroic shooting operation that took place near the town of Burqin, west of Salfit, carried out by the bravest of our people in the West Bank.”
He called on “the masses of the people to rise up against the occupation in defense of Al-Aqsa Mosque, to confront the aggression against the West Bank and its refugee camps, and to support their people in steadfast Gaza.”
Source: Agencies (translated and edited by Al-Manar English Website)
