Young Israel of West Hartford, Conn., reported that the deceased was Elan Ganeles and that he will be buried in Israel.
By JNS
Terrorists fired on three occasions at Israeli vehicles on Monday, killing a dual American-Israeli man, and then set the cars on fire that evening. The attacks took place near the town of Jericho near the Beit Ha’arava Junction.
Writing on Twitter, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Thomas Nides revealed that the victim was also an American citizen.
“Sadly, I can confirm that a U.S. citizen was killed in one of the terror attacks in the West Bank tonight,” wrote Nides. “I pray for his family.”
Volunteers from United Hatzalah and Magen David Adom treated the victim, who was in his mid-20s and in cardiac arrest when officials arrived. He was taken to Hadassah Hospital Mount Scopus, where he was pronounced dead. No additional injuries were reported.
Later in the day, Young Israel of West Hartford, Conn., reported that the deceased was Elan Ganeles of West Hartford. The synagogue also noted that the funeral will take place in Israel and that the family will return home to sit shiva.
Israel Police exchanged fire with the terrorists, who fled the scene. Authorities have put up roadblocks and checkpoints, and are searching for the attackers.
According to the Kan public broadcaster, the gunmen at some stage set their car on fire and continued on foot into Jericho, which is under the control of the Palestinian Authority.
Israeli security forces earlier this month arrested a terrorist cell responsible for an attempted mass shooting at a restaurant near Jericho, close to where Monday’s attack took place.
On Jan. 28, two men armed with an assault rifle and bulletproof vests approached the Me Casa Restaurant near the Israeli town of Vered Yericho, but managed to fire only a single shot before their weapon jammed.
Earlier Monday, brothers Hallel and Yagel Yaniv, who were killed in a terror attack in Samaria the previous day, were laid to rest on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem.
Hallel, 21, and Yagel, 19, were shot at point-blank range by a Palestinian terrorist as they drove through the village of Huwara near where they lived.
“There are no words to describe such a disaster,” said Esti Yaniv, the victims’ mother. “Instead of taking children to the [marriage]chuppah, we bury them.”
The brothers’ father, Shalom, said, “I really beg and plead that this will be the last such incident, and that all the children will be able to get married and have children and live happily and peacefully.”
Israel arrests eight suspects in Samaria shooting attacks
The Shin Bet said it will continue to “thwart terrorist acts and bring those involved in such activities to justice.”
The Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) and the IDF arrested eight terrorist operatives on Monday night suspected of a series of shooting attacks in Samaria.
The eight men carried out a series of attacks in recent weeks that did not result in casualties, the agency said. The weapons they allegedly used were also confiscated.
The shootings took place in areas assigned to the Israel Defense Forces’ Binyamin and Efraim Territorial Brigades. The first operates around Ramallah, and the second near Tulkarm and Qalqilya.
The Shin Bet found during its investigation that Belal Barghouti and Ahmed Aqel, residents of the village of Beit Rima, northwest of Ramallah, were involved in shooting attacks against IDF soldiers in the nearby village of Nabi Saleh on Dec. 7 and Jan. 26.
It also emerged that they were involved in a shooting attack against an Israeli vehicle near the planned city of Rawabi on Feb. 3.
Also arrested were Ahmed Manasra and Alaa Manasra, residents of the Qalandiya refugee camp, who allegedly carried out a shooting attack on the night of Jan. 27 directed towards the Qalandiya checkpoint, the Shin Bet said.
Another suspect, Ahmed Abu Arida, a resident of the Beitunia refugee camp near Ramallah, is believed to have fired towards the Beitunia checkpoint, also on Jan. 27.
Muhammed Makhrouk and Jibril Zbeidi, residents of the Jalazone refugee camp, which is also near Ramallah, were found to have carried out a shooting attack on Dec. 18 towards the Beit El community.
“Finding and quickly thwarting the local terrorist squads they were members of removed a real threat from the area,” the Shin Bet said in a statement.
“The Shin Bet and the IDF will continue to work to thwart terrorist acts and bring those involved in such activities to justice,” it added.
The suspects are expected to stand trial for their activities after the investigation is completed.