Tekoa terror attack: Hamas-linked terrorist arrested as victim undergoes surgery

The IDF on Sunday afternoon arrested a Palestinian terrorist who wounded three Jews in a shooting attack near Tekoa Junction in the West Bank earlier in the day.

Ammar al-Najjar, from Hebron and a member of Hamas who had been arrested by Israeli authorities in the past, fired from inside his own car toward the car with the three Jews while passing.

Three wounded, one taken to the hospital 

The Jewish driver, El-Roi Kapach, 36, was seriously wounded with a bullet lodged in his stomach and earlier Sunday it was unclear if he would survive. He had two of his daughters with him aged 14 and 9, who suffered non-life-threatening wounds from broken glass.

By later Sunday, doctors at Shaare Zedek Hospital had performed surgery to extract the bullet, Kapachi had recovered consciousness and was said to be far more stable.

Al-Najjar fired on Kapach’s car when Kapach slowed down near the intersection.

Initially, al-Najjr succeeded at escaping the scene.

However, several hours later, possibly based on a tip from Palestinians, he was discovered to be hiding at the al-Rabat Mosque in Bethlehem.

He and two others were arrested in a joint IDF and Shin bet (Israel Security Agency) operation.

The three Palestinians were arrested after Israeli forces surrounded the mosque and used crowd dispersal means to evacuate the mosque and clear the area.

Four Palestinians were reportedly injured in clashes that erupted around the mosque. The IDF seized the terrorist's car, as well as an M-16 rifle.

Kapach, a husband and father of five, lives in the West Bank settlement of Nokdim, according to KAN. The parents of his wife, Tamar, were both murdered in an attack on Kibbutz Kissufim during the Gaza disengagement in 2005.

"[Kapach]'s daughters, Rachel and Avigail, who suffered from light shrapnel wounds and shock are also in the hospital," stated the Gush Etzion Regional Council spokesperson in a Sunday midday update. "El-Roi will undergo surgery shortly for his gunshot wounds."

Gush Etzion Regional Council Mayor, and Yesha Council Chairman, Shlomo Ne'eman stated at the hospital: "Thank G-d we just heard a few minutes ago that El-Roi's injuries are not life-threatening, but he is about to undergo a series of surgeries. I thank the security forces who will soon catch the despicable terrorists, and settle the score with them. The regional council and our staff are assisting the family and the residents of Nokdim through this ordeal."

The area has not had a serious attack with injuries for years, Ne'eman said in a statement. "We all wish a speedy recovery to the person wounded, and embrace the security forces who will soon catch the despicable terrorists, and settle the score with them. We will not give in to the terrorists who seek to spill Jewish blood and throw us out of our country."

A few hours after the attack, dozens of residents of Tekoa held a demonstration at the site of the attack.

שעות אחרי הפיגוע - עשרות מתושבי תקוע ירדו לצומת בו אירע הירי @TalorMayerson pic.twitter.com/QS4gBcuGkc

— גלצ (@GLZRadio) July 16, 2023

The road from Tekoa to Jerusalem was closed to traffic for a good part of the day after the attack, according to an update from the Gush Etzion Regional Council.

The prime minister was briefed on the situation Sunday morning while he was at Sheba Medical Center, Israeli media reported.

Upon the terrorist’s arrest later Sunday, Ne’eman later added, "The cowardly attempt to murder a father and his young daughters on a summer morning, shows how far our enemies have stooped. We all pray that El-roi will return home soon, and that the terrorist who carried out the attack will never return to his home."

The IDF has been trying to quiet a series of waves of Palestinian terror groups since March 2022 with only temporary success.

Earlier in July, the IDF undertook a two-day massive operation in Jenin to try to escalate its response and bring the terror groups to heel.

While Jenin itself has been quieter since the operation, terror attacks have continued in other areas, leading for continued calls from some for additional larger operations similar to what was done in Jenin, or for an even later operation like 2002 Operation Defensive Shield.

Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.