2022 Kiryat Arba attack

2022 Kiryat Arba attack
Part of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict
Location	Givat Ha'avot, Kiryat Arba, Hebron
Date	29 October 2022 (2022-10-29)
Attack type	Shooting
Deaths	Ronen Hanania and the perpetrator
Injured	2 Israelis (1 seriously) and 1 Palestinian
Perpetrator	Hamas militant Muhammed Kamel al-Jabari

On 29 October 2022, a Palestinian gunman affiliated with al-Qassam Brigades, the militant arm of Hamas, shot four people, killing one, in the West Bank settlement of Kiryat Arba.

Attack

On 29 October 2022, Muhammad al-Jabari, a Palestinian resident of Hebron, entered the Givat Ha'avot area of the Kiryat Arba carrying an M16 rifle. 49-year old Israeli man Ronen Hanania was walking back to his car with his son (19 years old) holding grocery bags they had just gotten from a local convenience store, which was close to the Ashmoret checkpoint. As the Hananias began to unload their groceries, the gunman, who was hiding to the left or the vehicle, opened fire and fatally shot Ronen in the head and his son Daniel in the hand. The attacker then fled from the scene.

Daniel Hanania waited for fifteen minutes for emergency services to come, then headed back to the store until security forces arrived to the scene with paramedics. As he exited the store the shooter reappeared and began shooting at the people outside the store. A Magen David Adom paramedic was seriously injured along with a Palestinian bystander. A security guard rammed into the attacker with a car, and the shooter was then killed by an off-duty officer. Ronen Hanania was transferred to the Hadassah Medical Center in Ein Karem, Jerusalem, where he died of his injuries. He was buried in the Har HaMenuchot cemetery of Jerusalem.

Perpetrator

The perpetrator was identified as Muhammed Kamel al-Jabari, a Palestinian elementary school teacher from Hebron. Jabari and his family are reported to be closely affiliated with the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which has carried out attacks against Israeli soldiers and civilians in Israel and its settlements in the West Bank in the past. Jabari's brother was one of the people who had been exchanged for Israeli abductee Gilad Shalit during a 2011 prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas. According to The Jerusalem Post, Jabari was "terminally ill" with cancer at the time of the attack.

Aftermath

Far-right Minister of Knesset Itamar Ben-Gvir claimed that his home had been fired at during the attack. IDF sources could not confirm his claim.

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid thanked the security forces for their work in stopping al-Jabari and said he was praying for the injured victims, vowing to crack down on terror with a "strong hand."

In February 2023, Israeli forces demolished Jabari's house in Hebron.

See also

• 2022 Beersheba attack
• November 2022 Ariel attack

References

• "Terrorist kills 50-year-old, injures three in Saturday terror attack". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 29 October 2022. Retrieved 2022-11-12.
• i24NEWS. "Hebron: 1 Israeli killed in terrorist attack, assailant killed". I24news. Retrieved 2022-11-12.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
• "Five wounded in West Bank shooting, attacker killed: Israel army, medics". France 24. 2022-10-29. Retrieved 2022-11-12.
• Fabian, Emanuel. "Israeli killed, 4 hurt in West Bank terror shooting; medic shot while trying to help". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2022-11-12.
• Obel, Ash. "Victim in Kiryat Arba shooting named as Ronen Hanania; wounded son recounts horror". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2022-11-12.
• Fabian, Par Emanuel. "Un Israélien tué dans une attaque près de Kiryat Arba". fr.timesofisrael.com (in French). Retrieved 2022-11-12.
• "Shooting near Kiryat Arba leaves one Israeli dead, several injured". www.israelhayom.com. Retrieved 2022-11-12.
• "Lapid on Kiryat Arba attack: 'Terror won't defeat us, we'll act with a strong hand'". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2022-11-12.