The hunt for the terrorists who shot and killed Aviad Nir and Shai Silas Nigreker in Huwara
Israel Defense Forces soldiers shot at a settler who was wearing a mask and was throwing rocks at Palestinian vehicles on Route 60 in the West Bank early on Sunday morning. The settler who was shot was taken to the hospital in moderate condition.
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A patrol force from Golani's 12th Battalion, operating in the sector north of Ramallah, was sent to the northern area of Ma'ale Levona after receiving a report about masked men coming to throw stones. The soldiers positioned themselves and identified the masked men, who were suspected of being Palestinian terrorists. One of the masked men threw another rock and then the suspects began to run away, so the soldiers carried out a suspect arrest procedure that included shooting him in the lower body.
After the shooting, the soldiers approached the wounded man, then it was discovered that he was a settler. His friends fled. A rock was also thrown at the soldiers.
The IDF says that the incident took place around 3:00 a.m., when the IDF force was dispatched to a point where there were several masked suspects. "The injured man is receiving medical treatment at a hospital. The incident is being investigated and its details are under review," according to the IDF.
The early morning incident occurred Saturday's shooting attack in Hawara and against the background of the army's preparations for revenge actions by Jews. Aviad Nir, 28, and his father Shai Silas Nigreker, 60, from Ashdod, were killed in the attack. The two arrived in Huwara to fix their car’s air conditioning, then headed to a nearby car wash, where a terrorist opened fire at them..
The attack took place at a time when there were many warnings of attacks in northern Samaria, some of which were thwarted. During Shabbat, IDF forces are less of a presence on route 60 near Huwara due to the small presence of Jews there at that time.
In the wake of Saturday's attack, the IDF was prepared for acts of revenge against Palestinians by Jewish settlers, and had already increased the number of police and military troops in the Huwara-Yitzhar area.
IDF Chief of Staff Maj. Genl Herzi Halevi arrived on Saturday at the scene of the attack in Huwara together with the division commander and the commander of the Samaria Brigade, and there was a preliminary investigation into the attack. The commanders also conducted a situation assessment, during which the chief of staff was shown the deployment of forces and blockades in the area and the intelligence efforts to apprehend the terrorist.