At least one person was killed and five others wounded in a series of shooting attacks across Israel on Sunday, authorities said, as security forces shot dead a suspected attacker and arrested an alleged accomplice.
Israel’s emergency medical service, Magen David Adom, said a man in his mid-30s died from gunshot wounds sustained during the attacks.
The service added that five other victims were treated and transported to hospital, including two in serious condition and three with moderate injuries.
Israeli police said officers located a vehicle linked to the attacks near Kokhav Yair, close to the occupied West Bank, where the suspected gunman was killed during a confrontation.
Authorities later arrested a second suspect in connection with the incident.
“During the arrest, the suspect attempted to stab the detectives and was subdued and arrested,” police said in a statement.
Witnesses described scenes of panic following the shooting. Shachar Hazon, 27, said she was on her way to work when she heard gunfire and sought shelter at a café in a petrol station in Kokhav Yair.
“I heard a single gunshot, really loud. I saw a man who had just come to refuel holding his shoulder, and after a few seconds he fell to the ground,” she said.
Emergency responders reported that attacks also occurred in the nearby communities of Tzur Natan and Tzur Yitzhak.
Police Commissioner Danny Levy told journalists that the attacker was a Palestinian citizen of Israel from the town of Taybeh and had a criminal record.
Police said the alleged accomplice was arrested in the nearby Arab-Israeli town of Tira.
Israel’s National Security Minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, condemned the attack and reiterated his support for tougher measures against individuals convicted of terrorism-related offences.
At the start of a cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned what he described as a terrorist attack and praised security personnel for killing the suspect and apprehending the alleged accomplice.
Meanwhile, Palestinian sources and the official Wafa news agency reported that Israeli forces closed checkpoints at entrances to the city of Tulkarem and established an additional checkpoint near Qalqilya following the attacks.
The incident comes amid heightened tensions in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, where security concerns have remained elevated amid ongoing regional conflict and violence.
