At least one person has been killed and several others injured in central Israel following a shooting that police are treating as a suspected terror attack, emergency responders have said.
Israel’s Magen David Adom reported that a man in his 30s was fatally shot at a gas station in Kochav Yair, a town located on the Green Line separating Israel from the occupied West Bank.
The agency added that five other people were wounded across at least three different locations, with two of them in serious condition.
The Israel Defense Forces later identified the deceased as Master Sergeant Haim Kalomiti, 55, a reservist from Tzur Natan.
The military also confirmed that one of the injured victims was a reservist soldier who sustained severe injuries and was taken to hospital for urgent treatment.
Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement that Kalomiti “courageously engaged the terrorist who carried out this murderous attack and fell while fulfilling his mission to protect the state and its residents.”
Police said they “neutralized” a suspect after tracking down a vehicle believed to have been used in the shooting, noting that the term is commonly used to indicate a suspect has been killed.
A security source said the suspect was a Palestinian citizen of Israel from Tayibe, an Arab town just north of Kochav Yair.
Security forces also conducted further sweeps in the surrounding area to determine whether others were involved in the attack.
Israeli security forces were deployed at the scene as investigations continued.
Later on Sunday, police arrested a second suspect allegedly linked to the shooting. Authorities said he tried to stab detectives with a glass bottle while being taken into custody.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a security assessment following the incident. “I praise the rapid-response teams that acted immediately against the terrorists,” he said at a government meeting. “I praise the officers of the Israel Police who neutralized the terrorist and apprehended his accomplice.”
In the aftermath, far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for “profound change” among Israel’s Arab citizens and a crackdown on illegal weapons in Arab communities.
“The equation is simple: whoever accepts the state’s sovereignty will live here in peace,” Smotrich said. “Whoever chooses the path of terror will have their blood on their own head.”
Hamas also praised the attack, saying it was carried out in response to “the occupation’s ongoing aggression against the Gaza Strip” and “assaults that affect our people daily in the West Bank and Jerusalem.”
