An Israeli settler was shot dead and a Palestinian driver was killed by Israeli forces in two separate incidents in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, as the region braced for the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur. The shooting took place near the spring of Ein Raya, close to the settlement of Neve Tzuf, roughly 25 kilometres north of Ramallah. According to the Israeli military, a gunman opened fire from his vehicle at a group of Israelis who had gathered at the spring for a ritual immersion ahead of the holiday.

The victim was identified as Netanel Shukrun, a 36-year-old father of six. He was found with critical gunshot wounds and was later pronounced dead at hospital. The gunman was wounded during the attack — reportedly by a soldier present at the scene — and was tracked down by special forces and military aircraft before being arrested at a hospital in Ramallah several hours later. Israeli authorities identified the suspect as Qadri Samara, a previously released prisoner from the town of Biddu. Shortly after the shooting, the Israeli military said it had killed a Palestinian driver near the settlement of Ganim, further north in the West Bank, accusing him of attempting to ram his car into soldiers at a military checkpoint. No soldiers were reported injured. It was not immediately clear whether the two incidents were connected.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded by ordering a partial closure of the area, reinforcing security forces, and authorising arrest operations and offensive military activities in the region, vowing the attacks