3 killed, 7 wounded in shooting attack near Kedumim in Samaria

Three people were killed in a shooting attack early on Monday morning in Funduk, near the Israeli settlement of Kedumim, located in Samaria. 

Magen David Adom (MDA) emergency services personnel arrived on the scene shortly after the attack to treat the wounded and were compelled to declare the deaths of two women in their 60s and a man in his 40s. 

According to initial reports, two terrorists opened fire on an Israeli civilian bus traveling through Funduk, as well as Israeli vehicles driving on the same road. The two terrorists were later filmed fleeing the scene of the shooting. 

Israeli military and security forces arrived at the location soon after and began a manhunt for the two terrorists, implementing road closures in several areas. 

The IDF also imposed a cordon on the city of Nablus, near the site of the shooting, as well as several surrounding towns, as security forces continue to search for the two terrorists. 

At least seven other people were injured in the shooting attack, including a 63-year-old bus driver, who was listed in serious condition; a woman in her 60s, in moderate condition; and five others listed in light condition. According to MDA, all the injured were evacuated to hospitals for further treatment. 

“This is a severe attack that occurred across scenes where vehicles and a bus were hit by gunfire,” said MDA medic Avichai Ben Tzeruyah, who arrived at the scene shortly after the shooting. “We saw two women, about 60 years old, in a car without consciousness, pulse, or breath with gunshot wounds. Additionally, in a vehicle about 150 meters away, there was an unconscious driver who also suffered from gunshot injuries. We performed medical checks, but unfortunately, their injuries were severe, and we had to declare them dead.” 

Defense Minister Israel Katz responded to the news of the attack with a statement on 𝕏. 

“Anyone who follows the path of Hamas in Gaza and sponsors the murder and harm of Jews will pay heavy prices,” Katz wrote. “I have instructed the IDF to act forcefully against any place where the murderers' footsteps lead. We will not accept a Gazan reality in Judea and Samaria, and anyone who follows the path of Hamas in Gaza and enables and sponsors the murder and harm of Jews will pay a heavy price.” 

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who lives in Kedumim, said that “Funduk, Nablus, and Jenin should look like Jabaliya” (a neighborhood in Gaza that has been almost completely destroyed). 

“The Conception still persists, and they are costing us dearly in blood,” Smotrich said, using a word to describe the security concept of containment which purportedly led to the defense system and government being surprised by the Hamas invasion and attack on Oct. 7, 2023. “The terror in Judea and Samaria, from Gaza and Iran, is the same terror – and it must be defeated.”  

Smotrich also slammed the security cooperation with the Palestinian Authority. 

“Those who rely on the Palestinian Authority to secure Israeli citizens wake up to a morning where terrorists massacre Jewish residents again. Funduk, Nablus, and Jenin should look like Jabaliya so that Kfar Saba does not become like the Gaza [Envelope], God forbid. I demand an urgent convening of the cabinet today to discuss a change in concept and the real eradication of terror in Judea and Samaria,” he said.

Smotrich’s statement was affirmed by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who said, “I send my deepest condolences and share in the profound grief of the families of those murdered in this horrific attack near Kedumim. And I pray with all of Israel for the recovery of the wounded. My stance is clear and known; we must stop the concept that there is a partner, remember that the Palestinian Authority supports terror,” said Ben Gvir.

“Stop all cooperation with it, set up as many checkpoints as possible, and close roads. The settlers' right to life supersedes the freedom of movement for Authority residents. I hope my stance is accepted by the cabinet this time, unlike in the past. Those who seek to end the war in Gaza will get war in Judea and Samaria.” 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also responded to the attack in a statement on social media platforms. 

“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 wrote. “We will reach the despicable murderers and bring them to justice, along with everyone who helped them. No one will be spared.” 

The Hamas terror group released a statement praising the attack.

"The shooting that took place this morning in the village of Al-Funduq, east of Qalqilya, is a heroic response to the ongoing crimes and war of extermination committed by the occupation against our people in the Gaza Strip, the displacement plans in the occupied West Bank, and the aggression of the settlers, especially the Temple groups, against Al-Aqsa Mosque and the holy sites," the statement read.

Hamas did not take direct responsibility for the attack, however.