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Revision as of 15:43, 21 July 2015 by GLG GLG (talk | contribs) (→Shootings: c/e)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)June 29, 2015, gunmen opened fire on a civilian vehicle moving along Israeli Route 60 near Shvut Rachel in Samaria. Four occupants of the car were wounded and rushed to hospital. One soon died. The gunmen were later arrested.
Shootings
The victims attempted to escape, but the shooters' automatic weapons had disabled the car they were driving.
According to Israeli security services, the same cell that carried out this attack had fired, two days prior, at several vehicles including an ambulance on a road near Beitin, without causing casualties.
Claims of responsibility
The Palestinian militant groups Fatah al-Intifada, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades (the military wing of Hamas) each claimed to have carried out the shooting.
Victims
Malachi Rosenfeld (Malakhi Rosenfeld) died of his wounds at the Shaare Zedek Medical Center. Rosenfeld was a student, enrolled in the joint philosophy and economics program at the Hebrew University.
All four victims lived in Kokhav HaShahar. The four were recreational basketball players, driving home after a game.
Perpetrators
Seven Palestinians were arrested for the shooting. Six of the seven are from Silwad; the seventh is from Qusra. Some of the arrests were made by the security forces of the Palestinian Authority. Among the arrested are Amjad Najar, Maad Hamad (who authorities suspect of being the shooter,) Abdallah Atzhak (a former prisoner and driver of the get-away gar, Faaz Hamad, (a known member of Hamas member who has confessed,) and Jamal Younes, (confessed to having the car used by the cell to a wrecking yard and to and helping the group acquire weapons). Security officials state that Ahmed Najar wired funds to the gorup through his brother Amjad Najar, who lived in Silwad.
Among the suspected perpetrators is Ahmed Najar, a Hamas terrorist accused of funding and masterminding the shooting. Ahmed was previously convicted of murdering six Israelis who had served eight years in an Israeli prison before being released in the 2011 Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange. Although he was released into Hamas-ruled Gaza, he had moved from Gaza to Jordan before directing this attack.
Possible Ramadan conneciton
This attack, part of a wave of attacks, raised the possibility that this and other attacks occurring in the same Islamic month were deliberately carried out during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, like the apparent 2015 Ramadan attacks.
References
- ^ Gross, Judah (30 June 2015). "Father of critical drive-by shooting victim calls for prayers". Times of Israel. TOI staff; AFP. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
- ^ "Members of Hamas network arrested for murder of Israeli settler". Telegraph. AFP. 21 July 2015.
- ^ Cohen, Gili (19 July 2014). "Shin Bet: Hamas members behind deadly West Bank shooting arrested". Haaretz. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
- ^ Hasson, Nir (30 June 2015). "Israeli man succumbs to wounds following West Bank shooting". Haaretz. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
- Niran, Ben (30 June 2015). "Three Terror Victims Still Hospitalized After Malachi Rosenfeld Dies of Wounds". Jewish Press. Tazpit. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
- Harel, Amos (20 June 2015). "West Bank murder arrest: A reminder of Shalit deal's price". Haaretz. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
- Booth, William (3 July 2015). "A wave of recent attacks by Palestinians sets Israelis on edge". Washingotn Post. Retrieved 21 July 2015.