ByJAMES GENNJULY 24, 2026 08:34Updated: JULY 24, 2026 09:48At least one Israeli was killed, and two others were seriously wounded in a shooting near Gilad Farm, a settlement located southwest of Nablus in the northern West Bank, on Friday morning.IDF soldiers are searching the area and have established roadblocks, including at entrances to Nablus.A number of Israelis were hiking in the area when they were attacked by Palestinians who encountered them, the IDF confirmed.The head of Gilad Farm's emergency response squad responded to the incident, along with other squad members. At approximately 8:20 a.m., reports were received of a gunshot wound after Palestinians stole the weapon of the emergency response squad chief and fired at the Israelis, Walla learned.Magen David Adom paramedics responded to the scene to treat the wounded. "We treated a 25-year-old man who suffered a gunshot wound to his upper body, but remained conscious," a paramedic said."We provided him with medical treatment and evacuated him to be transported to a military helicopter in order to be evacuated to the hospital. He was in a stable condition," the paramedic noted."Later, I assisted an IDF medical team, and together we provided medical treatment to a critically wounded, unconscious man, who suffered gunshot wounds to his body. After prolonged resuscitation efforts, we were forced to declare him dead," the paramedic said.Finance Minister and Religious Zionist Party leader Bezalel Smotrich reacted to the incident in an X/Twitter post on Friday."A tough morning. I send my heartfelt condolences to the family of the murdered, pray for the recovery of the wounded in the attack, and embrace the residents and hikers," he said."We will not normalize the erosion of deterrence and the brazenness of our enemies in recent weeks against the pioneers of settlement and the farms. I demand that the IDF act with an iron fist against the village of the murderers and its surroundings and restore governance and deterrence," he added."The people of the farms and the heroic settlement pioneers are the defensive wall of the State of Israel. We will continue to strengthen and honor them for their steadfast stand for our existence in the Land of Israel against Arab terrorism," he stated."The incident is still ongoing. There are still people in danger. Terror will not break us. The response must be offensive: We must relentlessly pursue the terrorists and strike terrorism with full force. At the same time, we must continue to build, develop, and strengthen the communities in Samaria. Anyone who tries to harm us should know that they will be met with a stronger and larger Samaria," Samaria Regional Council Head Yossi Dagan said."I demand that the government launch a large-scale military operation against the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, who are trying to ignite a wave of terrorism here. We've seen it over the past week. We expect the government and the military leadership to carry out a major operation, a real military campaign, in Samaria, here near Gilad Farm, to make it clear that Israel has changed the rules of the game and will not tolerate a wave of terrorism," Dagan added."Attack after attack. Our hearts are with our brothers at Gilad Farm on this difficult morning," former prime minister Naftali Bennett said."Sending heartfelt condolences to the family of the murdered, and praying for the recovery of the wounded. The entire people of Israel stand with the IDF and the security forces in their war against the murderers and their senders. The terror must be eradicated with an iron fist," Bennett added."The shocking attack this morning, which joins yesterday's attack and the wave of fires and repeated arsons, illustrates that these are not isolated incidents but planned and ongoing terrorism," Mateh Binyamin Regional Council Head Israel Ganz said."The area is literally burning," he stated."The wave of arsons, attempted attacks and the ongoing incitement by the Palestinian Authority are part of a single campaign aimed at harming the settlement and the citizens of Israel," he added."Judea and Samaria is not a secondary arena. It is a central front of the State of Israel, and the policy here must change accordingly, by launching a broad operation against the centers of terror, exacting a heavy price from anyone involved in terrorism or incitement, and stopping treating these attacks as routine," Ganz said."We pray for the full recovery of the wounded and wish strength to the security forces, IDF, and pioneering farmers who stand on the front lines and protect Israeli citizens with their bodies every day," he stated.Four Palestinians were killed by the IDF and four others wounded at the scene, including three in critical condition, the Palestinian Health Ministry claimed. The IDF has not commented on this at the time of writing.This incident follows two stabbing attacks on Thursday, thereby marking the third terror attack in the West Bank within a 24-hour period.As such, IDF Operations Directorate Chief Maj.-Gen. Itzik Cohen is considering reinforcing the area with an additional combat battalion in order to aid in mitigating the risk of copycat terror attacks, Walla learned.This is a developing story.Amir Bohbot contributed to this report.Follow us on Google