Palestinian Car Thief Dies After Police Chase, Gunfire in Gush Etzion

A police chase in the Gush Etzion region on Friday ended with the death of a Palestinian driver whose stolen vehicle overturned and caught fire on Route 60, near the settlement of Gid'on Natan. According to police, the incident began when a report was received about a stolen car fleeing Jerusalem towards the Gush Etzion junction. Police officers from the Etzion station pursued the vehicle, setting up roadblocks to stop the driver. During the chase, the suspect drove erratically, endangering officers and other road users, and breached police roadblocks in an attempt to escape. Police stated that officers, feeling their lives were in danger, opened fire on the car. Subsequently, the vehicle overturned, caught fire, and ignited nearby brush. Firefighters from the Judea regional station responded to the scene, finding the burning vehicle on a slope near the road with one occupant lying beside it. Due to intense heat, medical personnel could not approach the injured driver. Firefighters first worked to reduce the flames to allow medical treatment, and then tackled the brush fire. Incident Commander Liran Ben-Rosh described arriving to find the burning car and the injured man, noting the difficulty in approaching due to heat radiation. He stated that the initial priority was to lower the flames to enable medical access, while other teams worked on the brush fire. After searches, no other individuals were believed to be trapped. Route 60 was closed in both directions near Gid'on Natan due to the incident, with no immediate update on its reopening.