Investigation Reveals Hamas Terrorist Scouted Attack Site Before Killing Israeli Man

An investigation into the September 20 terrorist attack near the Ein Riya spring in the Binyamin region has revealed that the perpetrator, Qadri Samara, scouted the location the day before the attack. Samara, a 37-year-old Hamas operative, reportedly exploited the pre-Yom Kippur tradition of people visiting the spring for ritual immersion. Initial findings suggest he acted alone.

Samara drove to the area near the settlement of Neve Tzuf on September 20 and opened fire on the car of Natanel Shokrun, a father of six from the Alei Zahav settlement. Shokrun was critically wounded and later died at Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva. His 16-year-old son, who was in the car, was unharmed.

A tracker from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in a nearby armored vehicle spotted Samara, shot, and wounded him. Samara managed to escape to a medical clinic in Ramallah, where special forces from the Duvdevan unit apprehended him in his hospital bed. Photos of his arrest circulated on Palestinian social media.

Following the attack, the IDF raided the village of Biddu, northwest of Jerusalem, where Samara lived. According to Palestinian reports, approximately 50 residents were detained by the IDF and held in a local house.

Natanel Shokrun was a high-tech specialist and information systems analyst. He is survived by his wife, Meirav, and six children, the youngest being four years old. His funeral was scheduled for the evening of September 21. The Alei Zahav settlement issued a statement remembering Shokrun as a "man of good deeds, humble, pious, and beloved."