Israeli Father of Six Murdered at West Bank Spring Ahead of Yom Kippur

Natanel Shicron, a 49-year-old father of six and a high-tech analyst, was killed in a shooting attack at the Ein Ri'a spring near the settlement of Neve Tzuf in the Benjamin region. Shicron, a resident of the Eli Zahav settlement, had gone to the spring with his eldest son to immerse himself in preparation for Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. He is survived by his wife, Dr. Mirav Shicron, a lecturer at Ariel University, and their six children, the eldest in 11th grade and the youngest aged four. The funeral was scheduled for 11:00 PM on the eve of Yom Kippur.

Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria Regional Council, eulogized Shicron as a "man of kindness, humble, and a lover of people," emphasizing that he was murdered after completing his ritual immersion with his son. Dagan vowed that such acts would not break the Israeli people and pledged to build the land further. He also called on the Israeli government and security forces to transition from defense to offense, conduct widespread operations, collect weapons, and reinstate security checkpoints.

Security forces launched a manhunt for the attacker. Approximately three hours after the shooting, soldiers from the Duvdevan unit apprehended the wounded suspect in a hospital in Ramallah. Shortly after the spring attack, and before the shooter's capture, soldiers from the 890th Battalion of the Paratroopers Brigade killed another terrorist who attempted a ramming attack near the settlement of Ganim in the Menashe region. A second terrorist in that vehicle was arrested.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, from the Otzma Yehudit party, demanded the implementation of the death penalty law for terrorists, a law his party passed during the previous Knesset term. Speaking from the Western Wall, he stated that this case was the first opportunity to enact the law, calling for the "execution of the terrorist."