Neria Leiter, the son of Israel’s Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter, was critically injured on Wednesday in a car-ramming attack at a military checkpoint in the occupied West Bank, according to CNN and CBS News. Leiter, who is serving as a reservist in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), was manning a checkpoint near the settlement of Beit Horon when the incident occurred.
Incident Details and Medical Status
The attack took place at a checkpoint in the Binyamin Brigade’s area of responsibility, specifically near the Maccabim checkpoint west of Ramallah. According to the IDF, the driver of the vehicle—identified by the Palestinian Ministry of Health as 29-year-old Mahmoud Muhammad Mahmoud Suleiman from the village of Beit Ur al-Tahta—drove toward the forces stationed at the intersection. Security personnel opened fire, killing the driver at the scene.
Neria Leiter was evacuated in serious condition to the Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem, where he is currently receiving treatment. Ambassador Yechiel Leiter confirmed the status of his son in a social media statement, asking for prayers and expressing gratitude to the medical teams fighting to save his life. “Neria needs a miracle,” the ambassador wrote.
Context of Rising Tensions
The incident occurs during a period of heightened security alert in the West Bank. It follows a separate fatal shooting on Sunday, on the eve of Yom Kippur, where Netanel Shukrun, a resident of the Alei Zahav settlement, was killed while at a natural spring. The IDF has been conducting intensive operations throughout the territory, which officials describe as efforts to dismantle terrorist infrastructure.
The Hamas militant group issued a statement praising the ramming attack as a “natural response” to Israeli actions, though it did not officially claim responsibility. The attack comes one day before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to address the United Nations, further intensifying the political focus on the regional security situation.
Family History
This event marks a second major tragedy for Ambassador Leiter’s family within the ongoing conflict. His elder son, Maj. Moshe Yedidya Leiter, was killed in combat in northern Gaza on November 10, 2023, during the initial weeks of the war following the October 7 Hamas-led attacks.