Defense Minister Benny Gantz spoke with IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi, the head of the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) Ronen Bar, and the Commander of the Home Front Command on Friday afternoon following the terrorist attack on Thursday night and the subsequent search for the shooter who killed Yehuda Dimentman, 25.
Gantz said that every measure must be taken in order to catch the terrorist who carried out the attack, and stressed the importance of maintaining an increased security presence in the area throughout the weekend in order to prevent any further attempts to harm those living there.
Kohavi then visited the site of the attack along with Bar, and conducted a situational assessment, at the end of which he gave a statement.
"I send my condolences to the Dimentman family and wish the wounded well," he said.
"The IDF and security forces continue to pursue the terrorists involved in the attack. Along with the intelligence effort, we will also increase the combat forces and we will continue to act and expand the operational activities as needed. We will not stop until we capture the terrorists. "
The IDF warned the Palestinian gunmen that they could not escape capture, as the United States and Great Britain condemned the West Bank terror attack that claimed the life of Dimentman.
A few Palestinian individuals, with a suspected connection to the cell members who carried out the attack, were arrested overnight, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit told KAN Radio on Friday morning. "Sooner or later, we will put our hands on those who carried out the attack last night," the IDF said.
From Thursday night to Friday, IDF and security forces searched the area near the terrorist attack that occurred as Dimentman and three others traveled between the site of the former Homesh settlement to the Shavei Shomron settlement.
A Palestinian gunman stood on the side of the road and shot at the vehicle, fatally wounding Dimentman, who was the father of a toddler.
"We strongly condemn the terrorist attack today in the West Bank that killed an Israeli citizen and wounded two others. Our thoughts are with the victims of this attack and their families," tweeted the US State Department spokesperson Ned Price early Friday morning.
We strongly condemn the terrorist attack today in the West Bank that killed an Israeli citizen and wounded two others. Our thoughts are with the victims of this attack and their families.
— Ned Price (@StateDeptSpox) December 17, 2021Addressing the attack, Tor Wennesland, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, released a statement condemning the "escalating violence in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, which is claiming the lives of Israelis and Palestinians.
"These tragic incidents, and numerous others in recent weeks, highlight the volatility of the current situation and the urgency for all political, religious and community leaders to speak up and reject violence. I condemn all acts of violence and terrorism and appeal to all sides to deescalate the situation," he said.
The British Ambassador to Israel Neil Wigen tweeted. "I condemn the murder of an Israeli citizen in the West Bank yesterday, and hope those wounded recover swiftly. We stand clearly against terrorist attacks."
In the aftermath of the shooting, a group of settlers attacked a Palestinian family on Thursday night, in the Palestinian town of Karyut near Nablus.
Numbering about 15 men, the group entered the town in the middle of the night and pelted rocks towards one of the Palestinian homes.
כמה חשודים יידו אבנים לעבר בית של פלסטינים בכפר קריות שבשומרון. פלסטיני נפצע בינוני ונגרם נזק במקום. המשטרה פתחה בחקירה@carmeldangor @kaisos1987 pic.twitter.com/RzcbHDFl9A
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) December 17, 2021
They entered one of the homes and physically assaulted the father, Wa'al Bahjat Mukbal, Ynet reported, who was evacuated to the Rafidia Surgical Hospital in Nablus for medical care. The attackers vandalized the home and fled the scene.