An Israeli woman on her way to give birth was killed in a West Bank attack

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Tzeela Gez was connected her mode to the infirmary to bring caller beingness into this satellite erstwhile hers was abruptly chopped short.

As her hubby drove their car done the winding roads of the occupied West Bank precocious Wednesday, a Palestinian attacker changeable astatine them. Within hours, Gez, 9 months pregnant, was dead. Doctors hardly saved the beingness of the baby, who is successful superior but unchangeable condition.

Israel says it is trying to forestall specified attacks by waging a monthslong crackdown connected West Bank militants that intensified earlier this year. But the escalating offensive, which has killed hundreds of Palestinians implicit 19 months, displaced tens of thousands and caused wide destruction, has yet not snuffed retired attacks.

And the latest bloodshed is lone apt to substance a rhythm of unit that has persisted for decades betwixt Israelis and Palestinians. Israel has pledged to find the attacker, who fled the scene, and the subject main of staff, who visited the country Thursday, told troops that the broader cognition would proceed alongside the manhunt.

"We volition usage each the tools astatine our disposal and scope the murderers successful bid to clasp them accountable,” Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said, according to a connection from the military, which said it had sealed Palestinian villages successful the country of the onslaught and acceptable up checkpoints.

The shooting, particularly due to the fact that the unfortunate was a large parent with 3 different children, has the imaginable to ignite vigilante unit against Palestinians by extremist Jewish settlers. They regularly tempest Palestinian towns and villages, burning and damaging property, successful effect to specified attacks. Marauding settlers are seldom held to relationship for their actions and Palestinians are near to prime up the pieces of the demolition with small recourse to compensation oregon assistance from Israeli authorities.

‘A parent successful her essence’

Gez, 37, and her hubby Hananel, were residents of Bruchin, a colony of immoderate 2,900 successful the bluish West Bank. She worked arsenic a therapist and connected her Facebook page, shared developments successful her nonrecreational beingness arsenic good arsenic her thoughts connected the warfare successful Gaza, the fallen Israeli soldiers and the hostages inactive held by Hamas. Meital Ben Yosef, caput of the settlement's section council, told Israeli Army vigor that Gez was “all mother. A parent successful her essence.”

“A mates of parents were driving to the happiest infinitesimal that a genitor tin acquisition and the woman is killed connected the way. It’s a horrific incident,” she said.

Photos of the car released by the subject showed a slug spread connected the rider broadside of the windshield and a streak of humor connected a backmost door. Soldiers searched the rugged brushwood connected the sides of the roadworthy pursuing the attack, according to video released by the Israeli military.

Abu Obeida, spokesperson for Hamas’ equipped wing, praised the onslaught arsenic “heroic” successful a video connection Wednesday but stopped abbreviated of saying the militant radical was down it.

On Thursday, subject checkpoints slowed down postulation connected roads successful the vicinity of the attack, and galore Palestinian motorists were astatine a standstill arsenic they tried to marque their journeys, according to video shared connected societal media.

Concern astir reprisal attacks

The onslaught sparked outrage and calls for revenge.

“Just arsenic we are flattening Rafah, Khan Younis and Gaza, we indispensable flatten the nests of panic successful Judea and Samaria,” wrote the Israeli concern curate and a settler firebrand, Bezalel Smotrich, successful a station connected X, referring to the West Bank by its biblical name.

The unit successful the West Bank escalated erstwhile the warfare successful Gaza erupted with Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, onslaught connected confederate Israel. Israel has staged predominant raids successful the territory, particularly but not constricted to its north, utilizing crushed and aerial powerfulness successful unit that has killed galore militants but besides different Palestinians, immoderate of them throwing rocks to protestation the incursions arsenic good arsenic others not progressive successful confrontations.

On Thursday, the Israeli subject said its forces killed 5 militants successful a raid that appeared unrelated to Gez's killing. Hamas mourned the men arsenic “resistance heroes” but stopped abbreviated of claiming them arsenic its fighters.

Israel occupied the West Bank successful the 1967 Mideast war, on with Gaza and eastbound Jerusalem, each territories the Palestinians question for a aboriginal autarkic state. Around 500,000 Jewish settlers present unrecorded successful astir 130 settlements scattered crossed the West Bank.

Much of the planetary assemblage views settlements arsenic amerciable and an obstacle to Palestinian statehood. Israel views the West Bank arsenic its biblical heartland and believes the destiny of the settlements should beryllium determined successful bid negotiations, which person been moribund for immoderate 15 years.

Israel says overmuch of the Palestinian militancy successful the West Bank is fueled by Iran and views the warring determination arsenic portion of its ongoing multifront wars to unafraid its borders and forestall a 2nd Oct. 7-style attack.

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Associated Press writers Jalal Bwaitel successful Ramallah, West Bank, and Sally Abou AlJoud successful Beirut contributed.

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