JERUSALEM: Israel’s military said a soldier was killed Wednesday when the driver of “a Palestinian truck” rammed into “forces conducting operational activity” in the occupied West Bank.
The suspected assailant was “neutralized” by Israeli forces “and an armed civilian” at the scene of the attack near the Jewish settlement of Givat Assaf, north of Ramallah, an army statement said.
It later identified the dead soldier as 24-year-old Staff Sergeant Geri Gideon Hanghal.
The West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967 and is separated from the Gaza Strip by Israeli territory, has seen a surge of violence during nearly a year of the Israel-Hamas war, though Palestinian car-ramming attacks have been rare.
The latest incident comes days after a Jordanian truck driver shot dead three Israeli guards at a West Bank crossing with Jordan.
Since Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel triggered the war in Gaza, Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 662 Palestinians in the West Bank, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
At least 24 Israelis, including security forces, have been killed in Palestinian attacks during the same period, according to Israeli officials.
The West Bank is home to some three million Palestinians as well as 490,000 Israelis who live in settlements that are illegal under international law.
Israel says soldier killed in West Bank truck-ramming attack
https://arab.news/bqcz5
Israel says soldier killed in West Bank truck-ramming attack
- The suspected assailant was “neutralized” by Israeli forces “and an armed civilian” at the scene of the attack
- It later identified the dead soldier as 24-year-old Staff Sergeant Geri Gideon Hanghal
US envoy Waltz begins regional trip to promote Trump Gaza peace plan
- High-level talks in Jordan, Israel part of Washington’s push to advance regional stability, US mission says
- Envoy will also meet humanitarian groups and review efforts to support Syrian refugees
NEW YORK: US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz begins a trip to Jordan and Israel on Saturday to promote President Donald Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan, the US Mission to the UN said, casting the visit as part of Washington’s push to advance regional stability and support the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2803.
Waltz will travel from Dec. 6–10 and is expected to meet senior leaders in both countries. In Jordan, he will hold talks with King Abdullah II and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on bilateral cooperation and Amman’s role in facilitating humanitarian aid to Gaza.
He will also meet humanitarian groups and review efforts to support Syrian refugees, the mission said.
In Israel, Waltz is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog to discuss US-Israel coordination at the UN and shared security priorities. He will tour Israel’s northern and southern borders for briefings on the implementation of Resolution 2803, visit the Kerem Shalom crossing to assess aid flows into Gaza, and review operations of the Coordination and Monitoring Mechanism for Gaza.
Waltz will also meet Acting UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Ramiz Alakbarov to discuss humanitarian work and efforts to advance peace.
The mission said the trip reflects Trump’s commitment to ending regional conflicts and securing a “peaceful and prosperous future” for the Middle East.
