JERUSALEM — Israel’s military expanded a massive manhunt for a Palestinian assailant on Monday as authorities announced that a second Israeli died of wounds sustained in a West Bank shooting attack the previous day.
Beilinson Hospital said Ahiad Ettinger, 47, a father of 12, died of his wounds from the shooting and stabbing attack near the settlement of Ariel on Sunday. The attack also killed 19-year-old soldier Gal Keidan and seriously wounded another soldier.
Ettinger, an ordained rabbi, lived in a West Bank settlement and headed a religious seminary in Tel Aviv. He managed to fire a few shots from his personal sidearm before he was gunned down.
“Rabbi Ettinger’s life’s work will continue and be among us even after his passing, and the strength he gave his pupils and the community he led will continue to strengthen us through the enormous grief and sorrow,” said President Reuven Rivlin.
Israeli troops went house to house overnight in search of the assailant, identified as a 19-year-old Palestinian, and closed off a cluster of villages where he is believed to be hiding.
“We know the attacker’s identity ... and security forces are in a close pursuit after him,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said as he visited the site of the shooting. “These terrorists will not uproot us from here, the opposite will happen.”
He added that Ariel would begin constructing some 840 already approved housing units in a new neighborhood the following day.
The military said the attacker fatally stabbed Keidan before stealing his assault rifle and opening fire at passing vehicles. He then carjacked another vehicle and sped away, firing toward more soldiers before escaping into a nearby Palestinian village.
The military said it had surveyed his home for future...
