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Ziv Hajbi, 35, and Kim Yehezkel, 29, the victims of a deadly shooting in the West Bank, October 7, 2018. Published by Haaretz

Scenes (6). Published by Maan News
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BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- OCT. 7, 2018 10:32 A.M. (UPDATED: OCT. 7, 2018 1:55 P.M.)

Two Israeli settlers were killed, while the third Israeli settler suffered severe injuries, on Sunday, after a Palestinian allegedly carried out a shooting attack in the Barkan industrial area, near the illegal Israeli settlement of Ariel near Salfit City, in the northern occupied West Bank.

According to Hebrew-language news outlets, that 23-year-old Ashraf Naalwa, resident from the northern West Bank, used a Carl Gustaf rifle to carry out the shooting attack.

The Palestinian entered one of the offices in Barkan, which is part of the illegal Israeli settlement of Ariel, one of the largest settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, and shot at three Israeli settlers from a very short distance.

Two of the Israeli settlers, a man and a woman in their 30s, were critically injured and were provided immediate medical treatment on the scene. However, a few hours later were pronounced dead by medical sources.

Meanwhile, the third Israeli settler, who was shot and severely injured in her stomach, was transferred to to the Beilinson Hospital at the Rabin Medical Center to receive medical treatment and is reported to be in moderate condition.

Israeli forces and police sealed off the area and are conducting searches to find the suspected Palestinian.

The Israeli army spokesperson released a statement saying, "The circumstances leading to the incident are still being investigated, and all angles are being examined. The suspect worked for seven months in the industrial area and was granted a work permit which was supposed to expire next month."
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Two Israelis Killed in West Bank Terror Attack; Manhunt for Shooter Underway

Israeli forces raid home of Palestinian suspect, former employee of factory where shooting occurred ■ Police suspect shooting may have been revenge attack

by Nir Hasson, Yaniv Kubovich, Josh Breiner , Jack Khoury, Ido Efrati and Bar Peleg for Haaretz
Oct 07, 2018 5:51 PM

Two Israelis were killed and a third was wounded in a West Bank shooting attack on Sunday morning.

The two victims were identified as Ziv Hajbi, 35, and Kim Yehezkel-Levengrond, 29, both married with children. A third casualty, a 54-year-old woman, was hospitalized in moderate condition. Hundreds attended Yehezkel-Levengrond's funeral on Sunday evening. Hajbi will be laid to rest on Monday at noon.

Israeli security forces identified the suspect as Ashraf Walid Saliman Neloah, a 23-year-old Palestinian man from Shuwaykah in the West Bank who worked at the Barkan factory. Before carrying out the attack, Neloah gave a coworker a note in which he said he planned to commit suicide and praised late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. The note has led security forces to conclude that the shooting was a terror attack.

Eyewitnesses said the attack unfolded when the suspected assailant arrived at work at 7 AM after a two-week absence. The shooter went upstairs into the office where the attack would later take place before walking downstairs to his workroom, where he collected zip-ties and a weapon.

He then returned to the office upstairs, where he approached Yehezkel and tied her hands with a zip-tie. Another worker took notice and was shot in the stomach by the assailant. The wounded worker managed to return to her office and hide under her desk. The assailant then shot Yehezkel twice. The third victim, Hajbi, heard the sound of gunfire and attempted to flee, at which point the assailant shot and killed him.

The shooter later encountered another worker in the factory, who drew a pistol, shot at him and missed. The assailant attempted to shoot back, but his gun jammed and he escaped. The shooter then fled the scene and the Israel Defense Forces launched a manhunt.

The IDF has since raided the assailant's home and arrested indivuals suspected of aiding the shooter. IDF Spokesman Ronen Manelis called the shooting "a serious terror attack." Based on the fact that Yehezkel's hands were tied, authorities believe that the assailant originally intended to abduct the victims.

Employees of the Barkan industrial area have been told to remain indoors while police and military forces are scouting the area. Police investigators are bringing to the scene suspects who are familiar with the area and previously worked in the factory.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu extended his condolences to the families of the slain employees and said he is "sure we will bring the terrorist to justice soon" during a cabinet meeting in Jerusalem.

"This was not only an attack on innocent people going about their daily lives, it was also an attack on the possibility of Israelis and Palestinians coexisting peacefully," President Reuven Rivlin said following the attack.

"I call on the Palestinian leadership to condemn this murderous attack and to use the forces at their disposal to capture the terrorist and those who aided him," Rivlin added.

Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said "the Israeli military and security forces are carrying out a widespread manhunt to track down the evil terrorist who carried out the terror attack in Barkan. It’s a matter of time until we get our hands on him."

U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman took to Twitter, writing: "The Barkan Industrial Zone has been a model of Israeli-Palestinian coexistence since 1982, with thousands working and prospering together. Today a terrorist shattered that harmony by brutally murdering two Israelis at work. Our deepest condolences to the families of the victims."

'No signs'

The shooter was one of 250 Palestinian employees working at the trash recycling factory. His supervisor described him as a "normal employee" and said he did not suspect him.

The suspect still worked in the factory as recently as two weeks ago and the circumstances of his departure from the factory are still unclear, police said. A source familiar with the investigation said the attacker used a Karl Gustav rifle.

"There were no signs, he was entirely normal," the supervisor told Haaretz. "He didn't speak a single word of Hebrew, so we always spoke with an interpreter. He was a good worker. Any time I needed something fixed I could rely on him. When he didn't come to work for two weeks, we assumed he was having trouble at home, something personal. I told myself, when he sorted out the problem, he'd be back."

The supervisor added, "today he came to work after a long absence, worked from the morning, even fixed an electrical fault, and suddenly went upstairs and did what he did."

Employees at the factory say the assailant had only been working there for four months and that contrary to police reports, he was not fired. The employees said they didn't know him because he was relatively new there.

"We work here based on trust, I believe in coexistence, but someone like this ruins everything you build. Palestinian employees are confused too," one employee said.

Sources in the defense establishment said there was no alert on an upcoming terror attack in the area, but did note that the fact that the shooter climbed to the second floor of the factory and fired on people in a specific room strengthens the assessment that it was an attempted revenge attack.

Sources also said that the nature of the shooting may imply that the shooter acted alone. Nevertheless, security forces are still investigating whether the attacker received his weapon from terror groups.

The Barkan industrial area, which was established in 1982, is one of 14 industrial areas that Israel set up beyond the Green Line. Barkan is a highly populated area, and only 14 out of the 728 dunams that it was allocated are empty. Some 80 percent of the produce of Barkan factories is used for export.

'Bridge of coexistence'

Hamas released a statement in response to the shooting, saying: "The attack in Barkan is a new chapter in the struggle of the Palestinian people in the West Bank and a message to the young people of the West Bank and Gaza who are under siege."

The Islamic Jihad organization also issued a statement and congratulated the shooter. "The attack in the area of Ariel is a natural response to the crimes of the occupation in Gaza, Jerusalem and Khan al-Ahmar and against those who hurt children. It's a response to those who oppose the occupation and the continued damage inflicted on Palestinians. [Israel] shouldn't expect such events to take place without a reaction."

Yossi Dagan, the head of the Samaria Regional Council, where Barkan is located, said in response that the "attacker opened fire at one of the largest offices of the Barkan industrial area. This is a very difficult incident at a place that is a bridge of coexistence at the heart of Samaria."

Dagan added: "There are more than 8,000 employees in this industrial area, half of which are Jewish and half of which are Arab. I see Arabs and Jews who are sitting together and crying here. We will never break down. The Zionist project in Samaria, as well as everywhere else in the State of Israel, will continue in full force."

Israeli military chief Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot recently warned ministers of a potential uptick in violent attacks across the West Bank, but according to initial assessments there is no connection between the shooting and Eisenkot's warning.

Last month, a 40-year-old Israeli man, Ari Fuld, was killed in a stabbing attack at the entrance to a mall near the West Bank's Gush Etzion Junction.

Fuld, a father of four from the settlement of Efrat, managed to shoot the assailant, a 17-year-old Palestinian from the West Bank village of Yatta near Hebron, who was later identified as Khalil Jabarin. The assailant suffered moderate wounds and was hospitalized.