An Indian-origin soldier has been killed in a vehicle-ramming attack near the West Bank’s Beit El settlement. The 24-year-old from the Bnei Menashe community.
The Israeli Army said that Staff Sergeant Geri Gideon Hanghal was a resident of Nof HaGalil and a soldier in the Kfir Brigade’s Nahshon Battalion.
His community members have expressed shock at the news of his demise. The soldier’s funeral will be held on Thursday. Hanghal immigrated to Israel from the northeastern part of India in 2020.
Around 300 Bnei Menashe youth are reportedly serving in the army during the ongoing war, with most assigned to combat units. The Bnei Menashe, originating from the northeastern Indian states of Manipur and Mizoram, are believed to be descendants of the Israelite tribe of Menasseh, one of the “lost tribes” from ancient times.
Footage from the attack shows a truck with a Palestinian license plate swerving off a busy highway and speeding directly into an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) guard post near a bus stop before coming to a stop.
The suspect has been identified as 58-year-old Hayil Dhaifallah from the central West Bank town of Rafat. The attack comes after a series of attempted suicide bombings and shooting incidents originating from the West Bank, claimed by the Islamist group Hamas.
(With PTI inputs)