22-year-old Israeli man murdered in terror attack at supermarket in Judea, two terrorists killed in shootout

A 22-year-old man was killed in a terror attack at the Gush Etzion junction in Judea, south of Jerusalem, on Thursday, when two Palestinian terrorists attempted to enter a supermarket and attack customers. 

An initial investigation of the incident indicated that the two terrorists arrived at the shopping center compound in a stolen car and first looked for parking. They then approached the security guard, stabbed him, and then after stealing his weapon, they shot him at point blank range. One of the terrorists then tried to enter the supermarket through a side entrance, which was locked. 

Security camera footage shows that the two terrorists then began to shoot at people from the parking lot, before an armed civilian and an off-duty soldier engaged the two in a gun battle, killing them. 

G., the civilian who helped neutralize the terrorist, told Channel 12 News that he heard the shots while standing in line at the checkout. 

“Someone came into the supermarket and shouted that there were terrorists outside, I left all my items, and immediately ran out with another soldier who was dressed in civilian clothes,” G. related. 

The terrorists were hiding behind cars, which made it initially difficult for G. and the off-duty soldier to identify where the fire was coming from. 

“There were a lot of shots, we didn't know at first exactly where they were coming from. Finally, we managed to identify the two terrorists who were hiding – and we eliminated them,” he said. 

Magen David Adom first responders found the 22-year-old security guard without a pulse and were eventually forced to declare his death after resuscitation efforts failed. 

MDA emergency medic Avraham Seibald said, “This is the scene of a shocking shooting attack. We arrived with a large Magen David Adom force, and there was a lot of commotion and panic at the scene of the incident. When we approached the scene, we saw a 20-year-old man lying unconscious, without a pulse and without breathing, suffering from very severe gunshot wounds to his body. We quickly performed medical examinations, but unfortunately, we had to pronounce him dead on the spot.” 

Seibald also stated that MDA teams provided medical treatment to victims suffering from panic attacks who were present at the scene. 

After the shooting attack, the IDF announced that its forces had encircled the Palestinian town of Halhul, setting up roadblocks in the area. 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Gush Etzion Regional Council head Yaron Rosenthal from Washington, DC, after the attack to express support for the council and condolences to the family of the victim. 

“Terror in Judea and Samaria will not be allowed to raise its head,” Netanyahu told Rosenthal.