Ramallah: A 24-year-old Indian-origin Israeli soldier was killed in a vehicle-ramming attack close to the occupied West Bank's Beit El settlement, community members told news agency PTI on Thursday, as tensions continue to escalate in the Palestinian territory. The soldier was identified as Staff Sergeant Geri Gideon Hanghal was a resident of Nof HaGalil and a soldier in the Kfir Brigade’s Nahshon Battalion, as per the Indian Army.
Community members said they were "in shock at the news of the loss of a young life" on Wednesday near Asaf Junction, where the driver of a fuel tanker reportedly accelerated towards Israeli soldiers before being shot. The suspect was named by Israeli security sources as 58-year-old Hayil Dhaifallah, from the central West Bank town of Rafat.
Israeli forces have been conducting a series of operations in the northern West Bank for the past two weeks, with extended raids in Tubas, Jenin and Tulkarm, citing a rise in militant activities since the past year. All three cities have a heavy presence of armed factions including Hamas, the Iranian-backed Islamic Jihad and Fatah.
Who was Geri Gideon Hanghal?
Hanghal immigrated to Israel's Bnei Menashe community from the northeastern part of India in 2020. The Bnei Menashe, hailing from India's north-eastern states of Manipur and Mizoram, are believed to have descended from the Israelite tribe of Menasseh, one of the “lost tribes” of ancient times.
Some 300 Bnei Menashe youngsters are said to be doing Army duty during the current war, most of them serving in combat units. Some 5,000 members of the Bnei Menashe community are said to have immigrated to Israel, including almost 1,500 in the past five years. Another 5,500 still live in India and are waiting to immigrate.
Nof HaGalil Mayor Ronen Plot was quoted by Ynetnews as saying, "The city of Nof HaGalil mourns and grieves the loss of Staff Sgt. Hanghal. Gideon was a member of the Bnei Menashe community, which is very dear to my heart—good, humble and patriotic people."
Rising tensions in West Bank
The attack that claimed the Indian-origin soldier's life came after a series of attempted suicide bombings and shooting incidents emanating from the West Bank and claimed by Hamas. The Israeli Army said it killed five men in the city of Tubas and an armed militant in Tulkarm on Wednesday.
The spiralling violence has also been fuelled by hardline Israeli settlers in the central and northern West Bank who have carried out several attacks on Palestinians in recent weeks. Violence has surged in the West Bank since the start of the war in Gaza, with almost daily sweeps by Israeli forces that have involved thousands of arrests and regular gun battles between security forces and Palestinian fighters.
The IDF has carried out more than 70 airstrikes in the West Bank since October 7, using drones, attack helicopters, and fighter jets. More than 680 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7 last year, including both fighters and unarmed civilians, according to the Palestinian health authorities.
(with inputs from agencies)
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