WEST BANK, (Palestine Foundation Information Center) An Israeli reserve soldier was killed and four others were wounded on Thursday in a resistance operation targeting the “Rami Levy” shopping complex in the Gush Etzion settlement bloc, located between Bethlehem and al-Khalil (Hebron) in the southern occupied West Bank.
According to Israeli media, the attack began with a stabbing inside the shopping center, where two Palestinian resistance fighters fatally wounded a security guard—later identified as a reserve soldier—and injured four others. The attackers reportedly seized the soldier’s weapon and engaged in armed clashes with Israeli occupation forces and settlers before being shot and killed.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health confirmed the identities of the two martyrs: Mahmoud Abed (23) from Halhul and Malik Salem (23) from Tulkarem. Video footage circulated online captured the moment of the operation and the exchange of fire that followed.
Following the incident, the Israeli occupation army sealed off the Gush Etzion junction and imposed lockdowns on nearby areas, including the closure of entrances to al-Khalil and surrounding towns. Settlers in six settlements were advised to shelter in place.
The attack, carried out in a highly secured zone, marks a significant escalation in Palestinian resistance activity in the West Bank. It came amid growing Palestinian anger over ongoing killings, arrests, and displacement campaigns by Israeli forces and settler militias.
Hamas issued a statement mourning the two martyrs and praising the operation as a “legitimate response” to Israel’s continued massacres and repression across the occupied territories. The Movement emphasized that resistance would persist “until the occupation is defeated and Palestinian national rights are restored.”
Over the past 48 hours, the occupied West Bank has witnessed a surge in resistance operations, with at least 20 actions recorded. These included 13 confrontations, three settler-targeted incidents, two bombing operations, and two mass demonstrations. At least four Israeli soldiers and two settlers were reportedly injured during that period.
The Gush Etzion operation reflects a wider trend of intensified Palestinian resistance as Israel escalates its genocide in Gaza and implements widespread repression in the West Bank, including mass arrests, demolitions, and settler violence.
