IDF Officer Killed in West Bank Terror Attack; Israeli Forces Launch Crackdown

Lieutenant Colonel Yuval Ezra, 27, from Herzliya and commander of a battery in the 411th Battalion of the Artillery Corps, was killed in a shooting attack near the Gilad Farm in the West Bank on Friday morning. Another fallen soldier was Staff Sergeant (res.) Benyahu Malat. Two additional people were wounded and evacuated from the scene. The attacker, who carried out the shooting after stealing a weapon from one of the security personnel present, was killed.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed condolences to the families of the fallen soldiers, praising their bravery and sacrifice in confronting the terrorists to protect Israeli civilians. He emphasized that the IDF and security forces would continue to operate decisively against terrorism in the region. Netanyahu convened a meeting with the Defense Minister and Chief of Staff to discuss response measures, announcing a curfew across the area and ongoing targeted counterterrorism operations overnight.

The Chief of Staff held a situation assessment with Central Command and the Military Intelligence Directorate, ordering a broad reinforcement of forces and the capture of all terrorists involved in the attack. The incident occurred on the outskirts of the village of Tal during a hiking trip by a group of Israelis. Netanyahu vowed to act strongly against the terrorists and their supporters to prevent terror from gaining ground in Judea and Samaria.