Three Israelis were wounded, one critically, in a shooting attack near Havat Gilad in Samaria on Friday morning. The incident occurred when a group of hikers in the area came under fire from Palestinians, according to Magen David Adom and the Israeli military.
The Israel Defense Forces said the attackers had stolen weapons from the hikers before opening fire. Troops were dispatched to search for those responsible and established roadblocks throughout the region, including at entrances to nearby Nablus.
Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan visited the scene and assessed the situation with security officials. "The incident is still ongoing. There are still people in danger," Dagan said, adding that "Terror will not break us. The response must be offensive: We must relentlessly pursue the terrorists and strike terrorism with full force. At the same time, we must continue to build, develop and strengthen the communities in Samaria."
The attack followed two stabbing incidents in northern Samaria the previous day. On Thursday, a terrorist stabbed an Israeli civilian near Itamar and another wounded an IDF soldier near Ganim; all three attackers were killed by Israeli forces. The IDF subsequently conducted counterterrorism operations in Beit Furik and Tubas, searching homes and questioning suspects.
Binyamin Regional Council head Yisrael Gantz characterized recent violence as part of "one campaign" Against Israel. "The ground is burning - literally," Gantz said, linking arson attacks, attempted attacks and Palestinian Authority incitement. He called the morning attack evidence that incidents were not isolated but "planned and ongoing terrorism."
Gantz called on the government to launch operations against terrorist strongholds and stated that "Judea and Samaria is not a secondary arena. It is a central front for the State of Israel, and policy here must change accordingly."
According to Israeli media, the head of the IDF Operations Directorate was considering deploying an additional combat battalion to reinforce the area.