Deadly Shooting Attack in the Sharon Region Leaves One Dead and Five Wounded; Attacker Neutralized
A man in his 30s was killed today (Sunday) in a shooting attack that took place at several locations near the communities of Kokhav Yair, Tzur Yitzhak and Tzur Natan. Five others were injured, including two men in serious condition and three in moderate condition. The two men who were seriously wounded arrived at Meir Hospital in Kfar Saba in life-threatening condition and were taken into operating rooms. They suffered gunshot wounds to their limbs and upper bodies.
Scene of the attack in Kokhav Yair. Photo: 27 A
According to suspicion, the attacker, Omar Yasin, in his 20s, left Tayibe in a car around 10:30 and first arrived at the McDonald's branch at the gas station outside Kokhav Yair, where he fired at civilians from the vehicle and wounded two civilians. The attacker fled on Route 5533 and entered Tzur Yitzhak, where he fired at a civilian guarding the entrance to the community. The guard was wounded in the hand, and the attacker continued to Tzur Natan and also fired at the guard at the community gate. From there he continued to the community of Selait, where he spotted a civilian sitting in his car and murdered him. In Selait, too, the attacker fired at the guard, but the community's security coordinator fired at him and he fled. He was then identified by security forces, who pursued him and killed him in an open area between Tzur Natan and Tayibe.
Neutralization of the attacker who carried out the attack in the Sharon region. Photo: 27 A
Security forces raided the attacker’s home and detained several of his relatives for questioning. During the arrest of a person suspected of assisting the attacker, the suspect tried to stab the police officers. There were no injuries in the incident. In addition to this detainee, other people were involved who tried to break toward the forces that arrived at the attacker’s home and surrounded it.
Route of the attacker who carried out the attack in the Sharon region. Photo: 27 A
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir arrived at the scene of the attack, where he said that if the attacker had not been shot dead, he would have demanded the death penalty for him. “We want a dead terrorist on the spot,” he explained. Regarding the fact that the attacker was an Israeli citizen, Ben Gvir said, “There is among Israel’s Arab citizens a group that hates the state, and we need to go after it.” According to the minister, the victim in the attack was “a hero of Israel, who fell in the line of duty.”
Police Commissioner Danny Levy said at the scene that the event “has ended from a security-police perspective,” but added that the forces continue to patrol the area “to make sure that if there is anything, we will arrive and deal with it.” The Prime Minister’s Office announced that Netanyahu “held a situation assessment and is following the murderous shooting attack on the seam line.”
The Samaria Regional Council told residents: “Following a security incident, the road between Sha’ar Ephraim and the Ta’anim crossing is blocked to traffic in both directions. An update on reopening will be sent later.”
Gili Maimon, chairman of the national organization of security coordinators, said in response to the attack: “This severe attack once again proves that the security coordinators and standby squads are the first line of defense for Israel’s citizens. Only thanks to the quick and professional action of the security coordinator and standby squad members was a much greater disaster prevented.”
According to him, “while there are those who continue to treat the security coordinators as just another ‘security component,’ reality is slapping us in the face at the cost of blood. We cannot continue to neglect the defense system in the communities and abandon millions of citizens. It is time for the State of Israel to wake up, strengthen the security coordinators, and give them the tools and resources they have been demanding for years. The next attack must be stopped now.”
