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Israeli hiker killed in West Bank attack after gunmen seize security coordinator’s rifle
Benayahu Mellet, 32, was killed and eight Israelis wounded as violence erupted near Havat Gilad in Samaria
An Israeli hiker has been killed and eight other Israelis wounded after suspected Palestinian attackers allegedly seized a rifle from a civilian security coordinator and opened fire during a violent confrontation near the Havat Gilad settlement in Samaria.
The victim was named as Benayahu Mellet, 32.
According to the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), the incident began when a group of Israeli civilians came under attack while hiking near the Palestinian village of Tell in Samaria on Friday.
The military said a civilian security coordinator rushed to the scene after the group was attacked, but his rifle was seized by one of the attackers, who then opened fire.
The IDF said: “Terrorists stole the weapon of the security coordinator who had arrived at the scene, and opened fire at the Israeli civilians.”
Magen David Adom said Mellet died at the scene.
Two other Israeli men suffered gunshot wounds, including one in his 20s who remains in a serious condition and a 25-year-old who was moderately injured. Five other Israelis were also hurt.
Footage circulating on social media appears to show dozens of Palestinians confronting armed Israeli civilians and members of Havat Gilad’s civilian security squad on the outskirts of Tell. An IDF soldier is also seen attempting to separate the groups before gunfire breaks out. The footage appears to show a Palestinian taking the security coordinator’s rifle.
The Palestinian Authority Health Ministry said four Palestinians were killed during the incident, and four others were wounded, three of them seriously.
The IDF said it had deployed additional forces to the West Bank, launched a manhunt for those involved and imposed closures on Tell and nearby Nablus while setting up roadblocks across the area.
The military later confirmed the stolen rifle had been recovered.
The attack came a day after two separate security incidents in the West Bank. One Israeli man was seriously injured near Itamar after responding to a fire believed to have been deliberately started, while another was lightly wounded in a stabbing attack near the settlement of Ganin in the Menashe region. The Israeli authorities said the suspected attacker in the stabbing was a Palestinian police officer.
The circumstances surrounding the incident remain under investigation.
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