A man carrying a rifle opened fire directly at police officers in Netanya's Kiryat HaSharon neighborhood on Saturday evening as Shabbat ended. Officers returned fire and critically wounded him. No one else was hurt.
The incident began with reports of an armed man walking through the neighborhood streets with a rifle. Magen David Adom received the first call at 7:07 p.m., and medical teams and large police reinforcements were sent to the scene. Officers spotted the suspect carrying an M16, and when he pointed the weapon at them, they opened fire, according to preliminary findings and witness accounts.
The suspect was critically wounded. There were no injuries among the officers, residents or passersby.
Video circulating from the area shows the armed man walking down the street, along with footage of police arriving in protective vests and securing the perimeter. Residents described moments of fear as gunfire echoed through the neighborhood, with people on balconies and in their homes running inside to take cover.
Large forces from the Central District were deployed to sweep the area, collect evidence and rule out additional suspects. Central District Commander Amir Cohen came to the scene to oversee the investigation.
The suspect's identity has not been released, and the circumstances that led him to walk through the streets armed and open fire are still under investigation. Police currently believe the incident was not nationalistically motivated.
Unverified reports circulating after the shooting suggested the man had been suffering from PTSD linked to his IDF service. Police have not confirmed this, and it has not been independently verified.
