Date: May 15, 2025
Location: West Bank, Occupied Territories
A pregnant Israeli woman was shot and killed on Wednesday evening near the settlement of Bruchin in the northern West Bank, in what Israeli authorities have described as a terrorist attack.
Tzeela Gez, 30, was traveling to the hospital with her husband, Hananel Gez, when gunfire was opened on their vehicle. Mrs. Gez was critically wounded and later died despite emergency medical efforts. Her husband sustained light injuries. Doctors performed an emergency caesarean section, delivering the baby in serious but stable condition.
The Israeli military has launched a search operation for the gunman, and troops reportedly surrounded the nearby Palestinian village of Bruqin following the incident.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his shock, condemning the attack as “despicable” and highlighting the stark contrast between those who “cherish and bring life” and terrorists aiming to “cut off lives.”
Defence Minister Israel Katz announced orders for the military to “identify the origin of the attackers and respond with maximum force.”
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Hamas praised it as a “heroic” act in response to Israel’s ongoing operations in Gaza and the West Bank.
The attack occurs amid heightened violence in the region since early October 2023, following Hamas’s large-scale attack on southern Israel. The surge in conflict has resulted in hundreds of Palestinian and Israeli deaths.
Israel has built approximately 160 settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 1967, housing about 700,000 Jewish residents. The majority of the international community considers these settlements illegal under international law, a stance supported by the International Court of Justice, though Israel disputes this classification.
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