Two young Jewish men were critically and seriously injured on Tuesday night after a police officer opened fire on them near Ramat Gilad in Samaria.
The incident occurred when a police officer and a soldier with him began pursuing a group of Jewish youths on foot. The officer believed that the youths had come from the area of the Palestinian village of Funduq where clashes had been undergoing. The clashes were the result of a terrorist attack in which three Jews were murdered near the village and numerous Jewish residents came to protest.
After a few hundred meters of pursuit, the officer and soldier caught up with the youths near the community of Ramat Gilad in Samaria.
At that point, an argument broke out between the officer and the Jewish youths. While exact details remain unclear, it seems that during the dispute, pepper spray was directed at the officer, causing him to lose his composure and open fire indiscriminately. Conflicting accounts exist regarding whether the soldier also fired his weapon.
Several youths were injured from the shooting with one struck in the head, another in the shoulder, and others sustaining light injuries that were treated by medics on-site.
Eyewitnesses reported that after the shooting, the officer was extremely distraught and broke down in tears. Notably, he failed to provide medical assistance to the injured. "The officer realized what he had done, sat down and began crying. He kept repeating, 'What have I done? Internal Affairs is going to get me now,’ and similar phrases. He just completely lost control and was unable to function," eyewitnesses told HaKol HaYehudi.
The soldier, a trained medic, was also shaken but assisted in treating the injured before being removed from the scene by his commander, who confiscated his weapon.
It should be noted that both the officer and the soldier were fully aware that the individuals they were pursuing were unarmed Jewish youths, as they had followed the group over a considerable distance.
Throughout the night, security forces continued arriving at the scene. Police forensic teams collected evidence, including shell casings from the scene and later on a team from Internal Affairs also collected evidence.
A senior police official stated, "This is a regrettable incident that should not have ended this way. We summoned Internal Affairs and the IDF's Military Police to investigate the incident, and we expect a professional and thorough investigation." Police officials sought to reassure residents, emphasizing that the police had immediately called Internal Affairs and that they intend to fully cooperate with the investigation.
Overnight, the officer was questioned by Internal Affairs before being released to house arrest.
The victim who was in critical condition miraculously stabilized overnight but is still in need of prayers due to possible brain damage. His Hebrew name is: Yedidya Yaakov ben Tali Ethel.