Four Israelis killed in West Bank shooting attack

Four Israelis were killed and four injured, one of them critically, in a shooting attack Tuesday afternoon at a gas station outside of the West Bank settlement of Eli.

At least two Palestinians were involved in the shooting. According to preliminary reports about the incident, the two attackers arrived at the gate of the Eli settlement in a black Chevy and fired at the guard. They continued to the gas station nearby, where they shot and killed one civilian. After that, one of the assailants entered the restaurant in the gas station and fired again, killing three civilians. A person present at the restaurant fired back at the assilant and killed him. 

The second attacker escaped in a stolen vehicle toward Nablus and was killed by Border Police officers near the village of Tubas. 

Gaza-based Hamas praised the attack, though it did not take responsibility for it. Hamas spokesman Abdul Latif al-Qanoua released a statement on Tuesday celebrating the attack, calling it a "heroic operation" in response to the "Zionist occupation's aggression against Jenin." It also condemned Israel’s "continued assaults" against Al-Aqsa Mosque, among other things. 

Israeli news outlet Ynet published that the Palestinian attacker who was killed has been identified as Mohand Shahada, 25, a member of the military wing of Hamas. Ynet also reported that people distributed candy in Jenin and Gaza to celebrate the attack. The Hamas-affiliated news outlet Safa also ran a story identifying Shahada as the attacker, referring to him as a "martyr." Shahada — from Urif, south of Nablus — had previously been incarcerated, according to Safa.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant will now meet with IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, Shin Bet Chief Ronen Bar and other security chiefs to assess the situation. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir both stated that they are on their way to the site of the attack.

The Eli attack comes one day after deadly clashes in the West Bank city of Jenin between IDF forces and Palestinians. Six Palestinians were killed and dozens were injured in an exchange of fire that erupted in the city Monday morning in one of the most violent clashes registered since the beginning of the year. Eight IDF soldiers were injured in the Monday Jenin clashes and as a result of a massive roadside bomb that was detonated against an IDF armored vehicle entering the city for the raid. The battle in Jenin lasted several hours. In an unusual development, a military helicopter was needed to extract IDF soldiers trapped in the city. 

Visiting the wounded IDF soldiers earlier Tuesday, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned that “all options are on the table” in an apparent reference to a potential larger operation in the West Bank following the escalation of tensions in recent weeks. Gallant added that he "instructed the defense establishment to take proactive and offensive actions wherever there is a danger to the lives of our citizens and our forces."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday evening that "our troops are operating on the ground to make the murderers pay." He added, "We have proved in recent months that we make all killers pay, without any exceptions. To all those trying to attack us, I say: All options are on the table. We will keep fighting terror with all our might, and we will defeat it."

Israeli settlers carried out violence throughout the West Bank following the shooting, according to the Palestinian Authority. Settlers threw stones at vehicles east of Salfit, damaged properties and vehicles in Beitin, and burned fields in several towns north of Ramallah, the PA's official WAFA news agency reported.

Editor's note: this article was updated on June 20, 2023 to include further information on the shooting.