At least three Israelis were murdered and eight others wounded in a Palestinian terrorist attack on Monday morning in northern Samaria. The IDF stated that three Palestinians opened fire inside the Palestinian village of al-Funduq which straddles Route 55, a major highway traveled by Jews and Arabs alike. The shots targeted a bus and two cars traveling on the road.
The Palestinian gunmen fled and security officials told the media that a manhunt is currently underway.
Two women in their 60s who had been in one of the cars were declared dead at the scene, along with a man in his 40s who had been in the second car, some 150 meters away.
At least eight people in the bus were injured, including the 63 year old driver who was taken to the hospital in serious condition. Two women on the bus were in moderate condition, and at least five others were lightly hurt.
“My wife and I send heartfelt condolences to the families of the three people who were murdered in the terrible attack this morning, and wishes for a full recovery to those who were wounded,” said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in response to the attack.
“We will find the abhorrent murderers and settle accounts with them and with all those who aided them. No one will get away,” he added.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich emphasized that the Palestinian Authority cannot be relied upon to protect Israelis.
“Anyone who relies on the Palestinian Authority to secure the safety of Israeli citizens is waking up to a morning where terrorists are again slaughtering Jewish residents. Funduk, Nablus and Jenin must look like Jabaliya, so that Kfar Saba does not, God forbid, become Gaza,” he wrote.
“I demand that the prime minister urgently convene the Cabinet today for a discussion on changing the strategy and for a real elimination of terror in Judea and Samaria,” he concluded.
In light of this terror attack, and so many others in Judea and Samaria which have claimed innocent Israeli lives, Rabbi Tuly Weisz, the Founder of Israel365, emphasized the importance of Israel having full sovereignty over Judea and Samaria.
“Establishing full Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria isn’t just about security, though security would undoubtedly improve with clear, unified control. It’s about ending the moral and political ambiguity that has cost so many lives. It’s about asserting our rights and responsibilities as the indigenous people of this land. It’s about ensuring that places like Nablus can never again serve as safe havens for terrorists who murder Jews on our ancient roads,” he wrote on Israel365news.com
While no terrorist organization claimed credit for the attack, Hamas praised the murders as a “heroic response to the ongoing crimes” committed by the IDF in Gaza. Palestinians who live in the area were seen handing out sweets in celebration.
Terrorist attacks have increased since the October 7 Palestinian Hamas massacre of Israelis. Since then, 46 people, including Israeli security personnel, have been killed in Palestinian terror attacks in Israel. Some of these attacks have been carried out by Arab Israeli citizens and some have even been carried out by Palestinian security personnel.
The road through al-Funduq has been the scene of much Palestinian violence and Israeli authorities aim to start construction of a bypass road in the coming weeks, the Samaria Regional Council said.
“Our answer to heinous terrorism is the building of the land,” Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan said in response to the attack. “We will strengthen security here on this road, we will continue to develop the settlement [of Judea and Samaria], and with God’s help, together we will reach a million residents in Samaria.”
