Israeli Boy Killed in Bus Shooting in West Bank
A tragic incident unfolded in the southern West Bank when a 12-year-old Israeli boy lost his life in a shooting attack on a bus, Israeli officials confirmed. The attack occurred near the al-Khader Junction as the bus traveled from the Beitar Illit settlement to Jerusalem.
The young victim, identified as Yehoshua Aharon Tuvia Simha, was among several casualties. Medics reported that a woman and two men sustained injuries during the attack.
The Israeli military stated that the gunman fired at the bus before fleeing the scene. However, following an extensive search operation near Bethlehem, the suspect later surrendered to Israeli security forces. He was identified by Israeli media as Ezzedine Malluh, a resident of Beit Awwa.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog expressed the nation’s grief, calling it “a deeply painful moment for Israel.” In contrast, a Hamas representative labeled the act as “heroic,” though the group did not claim responsibility for the attack.
Separately, in the northern West Bank town of Qalqilya, Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian man, Mohammed Brahma, 25, on Wednesday morning. According to the Palestinian health ministry and local sources cited by the Wafa news agency, Israeli troops fired at a car carrying Brahma and later took his body.
The incident adds to the escalating violence in the region since the war in Gaza erupted following Hamas’s large-scale attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Israeli forces have intensified operations across the West Bank, citing efforts to curb Palestinian attacks, which have claimed numerous Israeli lives in recent weeks. Conversely, Palestinian casualties have risen significantly during the ongoing military actions.
