Israeli ambassador to US says son injured in West Bank attack needs ‘miracle’ to survive

On September 20, 2026, an Israeli settler was fatally shot near a spring in the West Bank settlement of Neve Tzuf by a suspected Palestinian gunman who fled the scene and was later arrested at a hospital in Ramallah. The victim, identified as Netanel Shukrun, a father of six from the Alei Zahav settlement, died shortly after being wounded. Meanwhile, an Israeli soldier shot and killed another Palestinian driver near Ganim settlement, alleging that the motorist attempted to run them over.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned these attacks and vowed to apprehend all involved in what he termed as terrorist activities. He instructed security forces to send reinforcements and impose closures across the West Bank. Far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called for the death penalty for the Palestinian gunman who killed Shukrun, while Israeli forces stormed a hospital in Ramallah searching for him.

In another incident on the same day, near Beit Horon settlement, Mahmoud Muhammad Mahmoud Suleiman allegedly rammed his vehicle into an IDF checkpoint injuring Yechiel Leiter's son, Neria Dev ben Chana, who was serving as a reserve soldier. Suleiman died at the scene from military gunfire. The Israeli ambassador to the U.S., Yechiel Leiter, appealed for public support and prayers on social media for his critically injured son.

These incidents occurred amidst ongoing tensions in the region with Jordan, Egypt, and Kuwait condemning Iranian-backed Houthi rebels after they fired a missile at Saudi Arabia's capital.