Dec. 12 (UPI) — A suspected gunman who killed a 12-year-old Israeli boy and wounded three others in the West Bank on Wednesday evening has turned himself in, the Israeli military said.
The unidentified suspect turned himself in to authorities on Thursday morning after a mass manhunt for the man, the Israel Defense Forces said in a brief statement.
Israeli emergency service Magen David Adom said the shooting happened at around 11:36 p.m. on Wednesday in Gush Etzion, near Beit Jala in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. They said shots were fired at a bus traveling on Route 60.
Paramedics treated two people at the scene, while two others – a 12-year-old boy and a 40-year-old woman – were transported to local hospitals.
It said the boy who was shot and was in serious condition was taken to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem, while the woman, whose condition was listed as moderate, was also taken to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem.
The boy, identified as Yehoshua Aharon Tuvia, was pronounced dead on Thursday morning, The Times of Israel reported.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said in a statement on X on Thursday that Tuvia was returning from an unspecified family gathering when he was shot.
“I want to comfort and hug his family and friends during this deeply painful and sad time for the Israeli people,” Herzog said in a statement.
“I send strength to the residents of Gush Etzion in their difficult hour, as well as to the IDF soldiers and security forces who are operating under enormous pressure on various fronts. I trust that the security forces will arrest the despicable terrorist.”
