The West Bank witnessed a prominent security development, as an Israeli soldier was seriously injured following a run-over attack that took place at the “Beit Ur-Maccabim” checkpoint, west of Ramallah. Israeli media later revealed that the injured person was Neria Dov Ben Hana (40 years old), the son of the Israeli ambassador to Washington, Yehiel Laiter.
The Israeli army explained that the injured soldier was inside a police vehicle near the military checkpoint within the “Binjamin” Brigade. According to the Israeli police, the perpetrator deliberately directed his car towards a police patrol and ran over one of its members, seriously injuring him, before the forces opened fire on the perpetrator.
Later, the Palestinian Ministry of Health announced the death of Mahmoud Muhammad Mahmoud Suleiman (29 years old) by Israeli forces’ bullets near the village of “Beit Ur al-Tahta,” west of Ramallah, noting that the Israeli authorities had seized his body.
For his part, the Israeli ambassador to Washington, Yechiel Laiter, wrote in a post on the “X” platform that the medical staff at “Shaare Zedek” Hospital are making efforts to preserve his son’s life, noting that he served in the reserve forces on various fronts for hundreds of days since October 7, after his brother Moshe was killed in previous battles.
Following the incident, Israeli forces sent military reinforcements to the area, closed Route 443 between the Maccabim checkpoint and Beit Horon in both directions, and imposed a series of wide closures. The Jerusalem Governorate reported the closure of the Jaba, Hizma and Anata checkpoints north of Jerusalem, coinciding with the storming of the town of “Beit Ur al-Tahta” and the raid on the home of young Suleiman.
This operation comes in the context of a noticeable security escalation witnessed in the West Bank in recent days, which included several field incidents, most notably the killing of an Israeli settler in a shooting attack near the “Halmish” settlement northwest of Ramallah, in addition to the Israeli army’s announcement that it thwarted another ramming attempt near Jenin.
