2 dead in car ramming and stabbing attack in Israel

A Palestinian attacker rammed his car into a man and then stabbed a young woman in northern Israel on Friday, killing both, police said, as Israel’s defense minister quickly ordered military retaliation against what he said was the suspect’s West Bank hometown.

The attack began Friday afternoon in the northern town of Beit Shean, where a Palestinian rammed his vehicle into people, killing a man and injuring a teenager. He then drove onto a highway, where he fatally stabbed the woman, police said. The man was 68 years old and the woman was 18, said paramedics, who pronounced both dead at the scene.

The suspect was heading toward the nearby town of Afula when a security guard shot him, Israeli President Isaac Herzog said.

Herzog said he was shocked by “this horrible killing.” He said Israel was “committed to strengthening this difficult border and, of course, strengthening the security response in the region for the full safety of residents.”

Soon after, the Israeli army began gathering troops near the Palestinian town of Qabatiya, where Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the suspect was from.

Katz said he ordered troops to “act forcefully and immediately” against what he called “terrorist infrastructure” in the city.

“Anyone who aids or sponsors terrorism will pay a high price,” he said.

It is common for Israel to launch raids on West Bank towns where attackers come from or to demolish homes belonging to attackers’ families. Israel says it helps locate militant infrastructure and prevent future attacks. Rights watchdogs call these actions collective punishment.

An Israeli reservist soldier rammed his vehicle into a Palestinian man as he was praying on the side of a road in the occupied West Bank on Thursday after firing shots into the area, the Israeli military said.

“Images were received of an armed individual crushing a Palestinian,” the statement said, adding that the individual was a reservist and his military service had ended.

Israeli police did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

The Palestinian went to hospital for checks after the attack, but was not injured and is now at home.

More than 1,000 Palestinians were killed in the West Bank between October 7, 2023 and October 17, 2025, most during operations by security forces and in some cases due to settler violence, according to the UN. During the same period, 57 Israelis were killed in Palestinian attacks.

In September, Palestinian attackers opened fire at a bus stop during the morning rush hour in Jerusalem, killing six people and wounding 12 others, according to Israeli officials.