Israeli Man Murdered in West Bank Attack Laid to Rest

The funeral procession for Natanel (Nati) Sharon, 48, who was killed in a Palestinian shooting attack, began Tuesday in the settlement of Ali Zahav in the West Bank. Sharon, a father of six, was shot and killed by a Hamas operative near the Ein Ri'a spring while with his eldest son, 16, preparing to immerse for Yom Kippur. His son was unharmed.

New details from the investigation reveal the attacker, Qadri Samara, a 37-year-old Hamas operative, had been in the area for a day prior to the attack. He allegedly exploited the Yom Kippur eve tradition of people visiting the spring, which is near the settlement of Neve Tzuf, to carry out the shooting at Sharon's vehicle.

A tracker from the Benjamin Brigade, who was in the vicinity, responded by firing at the assailant, wounding him and preventing further shooting. This action also saved Sharon's son, who was still in the car. The attacker fled the scene and sought medical treatment at a clinic in Ramallah, where he was apprehended by Duvdevan unit soldiers while in bed.

Initial investigations suggest the attacker acted alone. Natanel Sharon worked as an information systems analyst for "Hachshara Insurance Company." He is survived by his wife, Merav, a computer science doctor and AI lecturer at Ariel University, and their six children, ranging from 11th grade to four years old. The Sharon family is a long-established resident of Ali Zahav, and he was remembered as a kind, humble, and beloved individual.