An Israeli woman was killed and a man was seriously injured in a drive-by attack near Hebron in the southern West Bank on Monday morning, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Magen David Adom medics.
The pair, both in their 40s, were driving on Route 60 near the Beit Hagai junction when at least 22 rounds were shot from a passing car, directly hitting their car, the IDF reported. The woman, who was named as Batsheva Nigri, was declared dead at the scene, while the man was taken to Soroka Hospital in Beersheba for treatment. Nigri’s 6-year-old daughter, also in the car, was unharmed.
The car had no plates and reportedly fled in the direction of Hebron. The IDF announced that it had launched a manhunt for suspects in the area, closing off roads surrounding Hebron and interrogating city residents. Security forces later discovered a burned-out car matching the description of the assailants’ vehicle near the West Bank town of Halhul.
Nigri, a mother of three and a kindergarten teacher from the settlement of Beit Hagai, was hitching a ride along with her young daughter at the time of the attack, according to Hebrew-language media.
Hamas and the Islamic Jihad praised the attack as a deterrent to continuing settlement in the West Bank but did not claim responsibility for it. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced that a security assessment would be held with top officials later on Monday.