Israeli Ambassador's Son Wounded in West Bank Car-Ramming

An Israeli soldier wounded in a car-ramming incident in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday is the son of Israel's ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, the envoy said on social media, according to Al Jazeera.

The incident happened at a checkpoint near the settlement of Beit Horon, west of Ramallah. Israeli police said a vehicle drove toward soldiers stationed there. Forces shot and killed the driver, Al Jazeera reported.

What happened at the Beit Horon checkpoint?

Israeli police described the incident as a car-ramming attack. "As a result, the soldier was wounded and is currently receiving medical treatment. The attacker was killed by the forces," police said in a brief statement carried by Al Jazeera. Israel's national emergency services said their teams evacuated the injured soldier to a hospital in serious condition.

Who is the soldier injured in the attack?

Leiter identified his son as the wounded soldier in a social media post. "Medics are now fighting to save the life of Neria Dov ben Chana," he wrote, using his son's full name, per Al Jazeera's report.

"Medics are now fighting to save the life of Neria Dov ben Chana." — Yechiel Leiter, Israel's ambassador to the US

This is not the first loss for the Leiter family tied to the conflict. Another son, 39-year-old Moshe Yedidya, was killed while deployed in Gaza in November 2023, weeks after Israel launched its military campaign in the enclave following the October 7 attacks, Al Jazeera reported.

Who was the Palestinian man killed?

The Palestinian Health Ministry identified the man shot dead by Israeli forces as 29-year-old Mahmoud Mohammad Mahmoud Suleiman. The ministry said Israeli authorities were holding his body, according to Al Jazeera. No additional details on the circumstances leading up to the shooting have been released beyond the police account of a vehicle approaching the checkpoint.

What has Israel's government said?

Danny Danon, Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, offered solidarity with Leiter in a public statement cited by Al Jazeera: "All of Israel is praying for your son … who was critically wounded in today's heinous terrorist attack." No independent investigation findings have been released, and Al Jazeera's report does not include comment from Palestinian officials on the shooting itself beyond the Health Ministry's identification of the deceased and its statement on the body's custody.

What to watch

• The soldier's condition, listed as serious by Israeli emergency services
• Whether Israeli authorities release Suleiman's body to his family
• Any formal investigation into the checkpoint shooting
• Further statements from Israeli or Palestinian officials on the incident

Al Jazeera's report, based on statements from Israeli police, emergency services and the Palestinian Health Ministry, is the sole account of the incident cited here. The full story is available from Al Jazeera.