A pregnant Israeli woman has been shot and killed by a Palestinian gunman in the West Bank late on Wednesday night, as she was en route to hospital to give birth to her fourth child.
Tzeela Gez, 30, a mental health counsellor and mother of three from the settlement of Bruchin, was critically wounded in the drive-by shooting near Route 446 in the northern West Bank.
She was rushed to Rabin Medical Centre in Petah Tikva, where doctors performed an emergency Caesarean in an attempt to save her baby.
The infant, who remains in serious condition, was transferred to Schneider Children’s Medical Centre in the same hospital compound.
Gez succumbed to her injuries shortly after dawn on Thursday. Her husband, Hananel, who was driving the car at the time of the attack, was lightly injured. He had initially been listed in serious condition, but his status was later downgraded.
The shooting occurred near the couple’s home town of Bruchin. The IDF said a Palestinian assailant opened fire on several Israeli vehicles before fleeing the scene. A large-scale manhunt involving ground forces and an Israeli Air Force drone was launched, with troops encircling and sealing off the nearby Palestinian town of Bruqin.
According to The Times of Israel, Palestinian media reported some residents were forced to sleep in their vehicles overnight after being denied entry to their homes during the search operation.
Israeli leaders reacted with outrage. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the attack, stating: “This abhorrent incident precisely reflects the difference between us, who desire and bring life, and the reprehensible terrorists, whose goal is to kill us and destroy life.”
President Isaac Herzog described the killing as “a criminal act of terror that chills every heart,” writing on social media: “The murder of the late Tzeela Gez, on her way to the delivery room, is a criminal act of terror… Precisely at a moment of life – a life was cruelly taken.”
He added: “My heart goes out to the grieving family and to all her loved ones. We are all praying now for the well-being of the baby and the recovery of her injured husband, Hananel. Terrorism will not defeat the Israeli spirit. We will pursue terrorism everywhere, and we will not be silent. May her memory be a blessing.”
The West Bank has seen a sharp escalation in violence since Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel from Gaza, which triggered the ongoing war.
According to the IDF, around 6,000 Palestinians have been arrested in the West Bank since then, including more than 2,350 linked to Hamas.
The Palestinian Authority health ministry claims more than 950 Palestinians have been killed during this period, while the IDF says most were militants, rioters or individuals carrying out attacks.
The period has also witnessed a spike in settler violence against Palestinians. In total, 52 Israelis – including civilians and security personnel – have been killed in attacks in Israel and the West Bank since the start of the conflict. Eight additional security personnel have died in clashes with armed groups
