IDF kills two terrorists who murdered three in West Bank ops

The terrorists carried out the shooting attack earlier in January at a passing bus and vehicles, which killed three people.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF JANUARY 23, 2025 07:53 Updated: JANUARY 23, 2025 08:30

Israeli security forces at the scene of a shooting in the northern West Bank, January 6, 2025 (photo credit: ITAI RON/FLASH90)

Two Palestinian terrorists were killed in the West Bank by Israeli security forces during operations in the West Bank, Israeli media reported on Thursday.

The terrorists carried out the shooting attack earlier in January at a passing bus and vehicles, which killed three people: Rachel Cohen,  73, Aliza Reiss, 70, and Israel Police St.-Sgt.-Maj. Elad Winkelstein, 35, at close range near the northern West Bank Palestinian village of al-Funduq.

According to the report, an additional terrorist was arrested.

The two terrorists were affiliated with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Jenin. The Palestinian Authority had been operating inside Jenin over the past few weeks in an attempt to root out any terrorist activity, leading to a rise in tensions in the area.

(L-R) Aliza Reiss, Rachel Cohen, and Elad Winkelstein. (credit: screenshot, SECTION 27A COPYRIGHT ACT)

What happened?

At the time of the attack, Winkelstein was in the car with his young son. The police officer managed to shoot two bullets towards the terrorist until he was killed. He lived in Ein Hanatziv with his wife, two daughters, and son. He had previously lived in Kedummim, serving as the town's security coordinator.

Cohen, 73, was a school counselor and a mother of five daughters. Reiss, 70, was also a school counselor and is survived by her children and family. Cohen and Reiss were in the same car when they were shot.

Emergency medical personnel said they treated a 63-year-old bus driver who sustained serious wounds, a woman in her 60s who was in moderate condition, and six others who had various light wounds at the time.

The IDF said the terrorists opened fire at a bus and vehicles in the area and that roadblocks were set up surrounding the nearby Palestinian towns. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later approved additional offensive and defensive measures in the area.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi arrived at the scene of the attack that evening and extended his condolences to the families.

"We are engaged in an intense and wide-ranging battle against terrorism in the West Bank. We will intensify and continue this combat," he said. "For the terrorists who carried out this attack, the clock is ticking. We will find out who perpetrated this attack and reach them. We will act swiftly to bypass the town on this route and make the route safer."