Two Killed By Terrorist Gunman in Sharon Region

Two Israeli guards were killed Friday morning in a shooting attack in an industrial zone near Nitzanei Oz in the Sharon region. The two were in charge of checking Palestinians arriving from the West Bank. The two were identified as Shimon Mizrahi, 53, of Bat Hefer and Eli Wasserman, 51, of Alfei Menashe.

The Al-Quds Brigades, the Islamic Jihad's military wing, and the Izz al-Din al-Qassam, Hamas' military wing, claimed shared responsibility for the shooting attack.

The organizations claimed that the attack’s executer was a terrorist wanted by Israel and the Palestinian Authority, who arrived at the Israeli Arab village of Qalansuwa disguised as a woman. Later on, the terrorist changed into worker’s garments and advanced towards the factory, where he executed the attack “dedicated to Gaza’s residents.”

The joint statement stressed that the attack was aimed at illustrating that as far as the Palestinians are concerned, a truce with Israel must be comprehensive and include the West Bank.

A senior Islamic Jihad source in the West Bank said that the shooter had escaped from a PA prison several days ago. According to the source, the attack was carried out in response to Israel's "ongoing crimes" against the organization's members, and in order to signal to the PA that it should stop pursuing the group members.

Following the attack, IDF forces combed the area in search of the terrorists and the entrance to the industrial zone was blocked.

At around 7:20 am, Magen David Adom emergency services received a report on people injured by gunshots in the northern area of the industrial zone, which is located not far from the West Bank city of Tulkarem. Large rescue forces were dispatched to the area.

Itzik Mimran, a paramedic, told Ynet, "We arrived at the area and found two people lying on the on the ground, one near the factory's eastern wall and the other not far away.

"We tended to them, but one of them was killed on the spot and proclaimed dead. The second one still had a pulse and we began resuscitating him, but were eventually forced to proclaim him dead as well."