Neriya Leiter, son of Israeli Ambassador to the US, wounded in ramming attack

Israeli Ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, is returning to Israel to care for his son who sustained injuries in a West Bank car-ramming incident. The attack occurred on Wednesday when a Palestinian man allegedly deliberately rammed his vehicle into a policeman and a soldier conducting vehicle searches at an intersection near the Israeli settlement of Beit Horon, west of Ramallah. The soldier was seriously wounded and is currently undergoing medical treatment. The attacker lost his life during the incident.

Leiter's son, Neria, had previously served in the Israeli reserves following the loss of his older brother, Moshe Yedidya Leiter, in Gaza in November 2023. In a statement on X, Leiter expressed his hope for a miracle, saying, "Neria needs a miracle." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also expressed his support, praying for a miracle and visited Neria in the hospital before departing for the UN General Assembly. Israeli officials confirmed that the Palestinian attacker was killed by Israeli forces.

The incident took place as tensions between Israelis and Palestinians remain high, with violence increasing since Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which sparked the ongoing war in Gaza. According to an AFP tally, Israeli forces or settlers have killed 1,110 Palestinians in the West Bank since the beginning of the conflict. At least 49 Israelis have been killed, including civilians and security personnel, in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations during the same period.