BICOM

IDF forces are seeking the perpetrator of a shooting which took place near Hebron on Monday night and left an Israeli man dead and his wife wounded.  Chief Superintendent Baruch Mizrahi, a 47-year-old father of five from Modi’in, was killed while on his way to a Passover Seder near Hebron with his family. His pregnant wife, Hadas, was moderately injured and was transferred to Shaare Tzedek Medical Center in Jerusalem for treatment. The couple’s five children spent the holiday with their relatives as planned, and on Monday night were informed by their mother of their father’s death.

The original assessment of the attack determined it was a “lone wolf” incident, and not an organized activity operating as part of the local terrorist infrastructure. Such events are difficult for security services to thwart.

As of yet, no organization has claimed responsibility for the murder, but Hamas and Islamic Jihad released statements of approval. According to Israeli analyst Amos Harel meanwhile, the attack suits the policy of Hamas, which wants to keep terror on a low flame in the West Bank, which is under the rule of the Palestinian Authority (PA), while generally keeping to the ceasefire with Israel in the Gaza Strip.

Mizrahi’s murder is similar to a series of attacks against Israelis in the West Bank over the past year in that it apparently came without prior warning by intelligence bodies.

Despite the shooting, Israeli and Palestinian negotiators are due to meet again today in an attempt to agree on a package deal for returning to final status negotiations.