A gunman attacked an Israeli bus near Bethlehem in the West Bank late Wednesday, killing a 12-year-old boy and wounding three others. The boy, traveling home to Jerusalem with his family from the Beitar Ilit settlement, succumbed to critical injuries despite emergency resuscitation efforts at Hadassah hospital.

The attack occurred near the tunnels checkpoint south of Jerusalem, an area with heightened tensions. Israeli security forces launched an immediate manhunt, establishing roadblocks and surrounding Bethlehem to locate the attacker.

The West Bank has seen a surge in violence since the outbreak of the Gaza war on October 7, 2023. At least 790 Palestinians have been killed in the region by Israeli troops or settlers during this period, according to the Palestinian health ministry, while at least 24 Israelis have died in Palestinian attacks in the West Bank during the same time, based on Israeli official data.