IDF eliminates terrorist who killed two Israeli soldiers in ramming attack last year after 18-month manhunt

Israeli security forces operating in Nablus on Monday night killed a wanted terrorist accused of carrying out the ramming attack which killed two Israeli soldiers manning a checkpoint in Samaria in May of 2024. 

The operation in Nablus was led by the Israel Police’s Yamam (Yeḥida Merkazit Meyuḥedet - lit. Centralized Special Unit) counterterrorism unit, and involved cooperation with Shin Bet and IDF units. Israeli security forces had been trying to track down the location of the terrorist, Abdel-Raouf Shtayeh, since the ramming attack last year. 

Staff Sgt. Eliya Hillel, and Staff Sgt. Diego Gabriel Harsaj, both infantry soldiers in the Nahshon battalion of the Kfir Brigade, were manning a checkpoint near Nablus on May 29, 2024, when Shtayeh pulled his cargo vehicle out of the line of vehicles waiting to go through the checkpoint and accelerated towards the soldiers, who were inspecting a vehicle. 

An investigation at the time of the attack found that there was an obstruction that limited the ability of the soldiers to spot the threat and respond in time. Shtayeh was able to turn his vehicle around and flee the scene before soldiers could stop his vehicle. 

While Shtayeh later turned himself in to the Palestinian Authority police, he was released shortly afterwards, without Israeli authorities being notified. He apparently claimed the incident had been a traffic accident, not a terror attack. 

On Monday, after receiving intelligence indicating Shtayeh’s presence in a certain building in Nablus, Israeli security units closed in on the location, intending to apprehend him. However, after learning that he was armed, the forces fired on the building with heavier weapons, including a shoulder-mounted missile. Shtayeh’s death was confirmed through the use of a drone, police said. 

According to the IDF, several of Shtayeh’s accomplices in Nablus were detained by Israeli forces for questioning. 

Meanwhile, on Tuesday morning, the IDF said that in a joint operation near Jenin, the Menashe Brigade, Duvdevan fighters, and Shin Bet operatives eliminated Sultan al-Ghani, the terrorist responsible for the killing of Gideon Perry in a terror attack near the city in August 2024.

West Bank: The Shin Bet announced that fighters from the agency and Duvdevan eliminated Sultan al-Ghani who killed security guard Gideon Perry with a hammer last year near Kedumim in the West Bank.

Hamas mourned Ghani's death in a statement published on its Telegram channel. pic.twitter.com/RqCmhuSHO7

— Joe Truzman (@JoeTruzman) November 25, 2025

Perry was working as a security guard at the time of the attack when he was attacked and killed by al-Ghani, who stole his weapon and his car before fleeing. 

In the overnight operation, the Israeli security forces first arrested five accomplices before surrounding the building where al-Ghani was staying. There was an exchange of fire between al-Ghani and the Israeli forces, in which al-Ghani was killed. 

During a search of the building, after al-Ghani was killed, the security forces found an M-16, a “Carlo” style weapon, along with ammunition and explosives. 

With the end of active ground operations in Gaza, due to the ceasefire, IDF soldiers have focused more attention on security operations in Judea and Samaria, aimed at disrupting attempts to develop terror infrastructure in the territories.