Palestinian who sped car toward troops in Hebron killed, as is passerby; soldier lightly hurt

Paratroopers targeted while operating near a checkpoint in flashpoint West Bank city, less than a week after ramming attack in the area that lightly wounded soldier

A Palestinian was shot dead by IDF soldiers on Saturday after accelerating in a vehicle toward the troops, Paratroopers Brigade soldiers who were operating near a checkpoint in the West Bank city of Hebron.

An uninvolved Palestinian civilian who was passing by was also shot dead by the soldiers amid the incident.

The army initially said that both of the Palestinians killed were in the accelerating car, but later issued another statement saying that, after a preliminary investigation, it was determined that only one of them was in the car, and the other was uninvolved.

First responders said one soldier was lightly hurt in the incident.

Last Monday, another soldier was lightly wounded in a car-ramming attack near Hebron. The assailant was killed during a subsequent attempt to arrest him. Hours later, two soldiers were lightly wounded in a stabbing attack near the northern West Bank settlement of Ateret. That attacker, too, was shot dead.

Violence in the West Bank has surged since Hamas’s attack on Israel in October 2023. According to the Palestinian Authority, over 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers since then. The IDF has said that most of those killed were gunmen, rioters clashing with troops or terrorists carrying out attacks.

During the same period, 63 civilians and Israeli security personnel have been killed in terror attacks in Israel and the West Bank. Another eight members of the security forces were killed in clashes during raids in Palestinian cities in the West Bank.

Attacks by settler extremists have also risen sharply. The IDF has recorded more than 752 incidents of settler violence in the West Bank since the start of the year, surpassing the 675 incidents recorded in 2024.