Israeli woman on way to give birth killed in West Bank attack; baby survives
Tzeela Gez, 37, and her husband Hananel, were residents of Bruchin, a settlement of some 2,900 in the northern West Bank.
An Israeli woman, on the way to give birth to a child, was shot by a Palestinian attacker in the West Bank late on Wednesday.
The woman, identified as Tzeela Gez, was on her way to the hospital for delivery with her husband when they were shot at. Within hours, Gez was dead. Doctors barely saved the life of the baby, who is in serious but stable condition.
Gez, 37, and her husband Hananel, were residents of Bruchin, a settlement of some 2,900 in the northern West Bank. She worked as a therapist and on her Facebook page, shared developments in her professional life as well as her thoughts on the war in Gaza, the fallen Israeli soldiers, and the hostages still held by Hamas.
Israel has claimed that its month-long crackdown in the West Bank on militants is trying to prevent such attacks. But the escalating offensive, which has killed hundreds of Palestinians over 19 months, displaced tens of thousands, and caused widespread destruction, has ultimately not snuffed out attacks.
And the latest bloodshed is only likely to fuel a cycle of violence that has persisted for decades between Israelis and Palestinians.
Israel pledges to find attacker
Israel has pledged to find the attacker, who fled the scene, and the military chief of staff, who visited the area on Thursday, told troops that the broader operation would continue alongside the manhunt.
"We will use all the tools at our disposal and reach the murderers in order to hold them accountable,” Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir was quoted by the Associated Press as saying.
The statement also said that the IDF had sealed Palestinian villages in the area of the attack and set up checkpoints.
The shooting, especially because the victim was a pregnant mother with three other children, has the potential to ignite vigilante violence against Palestinians. Photos of the car released by the military showed a bullet hole on the passenger side of the windshield and a streak of blood on the back door. Soldiers searched the rugged brush on the sides of the road following the attack, according to video released by the Israeli military.
Abu Obeida, spokesman for Hamas’ armed wing, praised the attack as “heroic” in a video statement Wednesday but stopped short of saying the militant group was behind it.
On Thursday, military checkpoints slowed down traffic on roads in the vicinity of the attack, and many Palestinian motorists were at a standstill as they tried to make their journeys, according to video shared on social media.
Israel occupied the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war, along with Gaza and east Jerusalem, all territories the Palestinians seek for a future independent state. Around 500,000 Jewish settlers now live in about 130 settlements scattered across the West Bank.
