Following a deadly attack in the West Bank, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged on Monday to apprehend those responsible for the killings, referring to the perpetrators as “despicable murderers.”
The victims included off-duty Master Sgt. Elad Yaakov Winkelstein and sisters-in-law Rachel Cohen and Aliza Raiz. Gunmen opened fire on vehicles in the Palestinian village of Al-Funduq, resulting in their deaths.
Eight others sustained injuries, including a bus driver. The Israeli military has initiated a search for two suspects linked to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist group, according to the Jerusalem Post.
“My wife and I send our deepest condolences to the families of the three people murdered in this morning’s horrific attack and wish the injured a full recovery,” Netanyahu stated on X. “We will reach the despicable murderers and bring them to justice and everyone who helped them. No one will be spared.”
An eyewitness described the incident as a “shooting spree,” recounting how a Palestinian used an M16 rifle to fire at vehicles. The eyewitness, who possessed a personal firearm, returned fire.
“I saw a Palestinian … take out an M16 from his back window and aim it at vehicles and then I realized it was an attack,” he said. “And I saw the vehicles turning around and all this chaos and then I realized they were coming at me in a second and I was next in line so I started shooting at them.”
“I am a civilian and I have my own private gun. If they had given me an M16 I think their situation would have been different,” the eyewitness added.
A Magen David Adom paramedic stated that the attack involved multiple locations where vehicles and a bus were struck by gunfire.
“During our initial searches for casualties, we found 2 women … in a vehicle, unconscious without pulse or breathing, with gunshot wounds,” Avichai Ben Zuria said. “About 150 meters away, there was an unconscious driver who also suffered gunshot wounds. After medical assessments, unfortunately, their injuries were severe, and we had to pronounce them deceased.”
Winkelstein was in his 40s, while Cohen, a 73-year-old mother of five, and Raiz, aged 70, both worked as school counselors, according to the Jerusalem Post.
Hamas issued a statement praising the attack, as reported by The Associated Press.