The Israel Defense Forces cordoned off Palestinian villages and sent reinforcements to Judea and Samaria on Wednesday, a day after a father of six was shot and killed by a terrorist near the Havat Gilad settlement in Samaria.
The IDF imposed a partial lockdown on the area while hunting for the assailant, who was still at large on Wednesday.
Israeli troops combed villages around the Palestinian city of Nablus searching for suspects, the IDF said in a statement.
In the attack, Raziel Shevach, 35, was making his way home when he was shot multiple times from a passing vehicle. He was taken to hospital in critical condition and succumbed to his wounds shortly afterward.
In response to the attack, U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman condemned the Palestinian Authority's practice of paying salaries to terrorists involved in murdering Israelis.
"An Israeli father of six was killed last night in cold blood by Palestinian terrorists," Friedman tweeted Wednesday.
"Hamas praises the killers and PA laws will provide them financial rewards. Look no further to why there is no peace."
U.N. Middle East peace envoy Nickolay Mladenov also condemned the killing in a tweet saying: "There is no justification for terror and those who condone it, praise it or glorify it. This is not the path to peace!"
Israel has long pushed – unsuccessfully – for the Palestinians to halt the "martyrs' fund," payments to thousands of families of Palestinians killed or wounded while perpetrating terrorist attacks, or imprisoned for committing attacks. In 2016, the PA spent 1.15 billion shekels ($322 million) on payments to terrorists. Israel has repeatedly condemned the practice, saying it encourages violence.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement on Wednesday vowing that Israel's security services "will do everything possible to apprehend the despicable murderer and the State of Israel will carry out justice against him."
The attack occurred near Havat Gilad, an Israeli settlement outpost near Nablus. The isolated community, comprising just a few hundred Israelis, is located deep inside Samaria.
Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman called for the unauthorized outpost to be retroactively recognized in response to the attack.
Hamas, the terrorist group that rules the Gaza Strip, praised the shooting as "heroic," but did not take credit for it.
After Shevach was shot, he managed to call his wife and tell her, "I've been shot."
He also managed to call the Magen David Adom emergency medical service, where he had once volunteered as a medic, and reported the attack.
"Friends," he said, "I've been shot. I'm near Havat Gilad."
Forces that arrived at the scene found 22 casings in and around Shevach's vehicle, suggesting multiple gunshots.
Among the first responders was MK Bezalel Smotrich (Habayit Hayehudi), who happened to be driving in his own vehicle nearby at the time. He pulled over to offer first aid until the ambulance arrived. He called in to report a "terrible terrorist attack with a horrifying outcome."
The head of the Samaria Council, Yossi Dagan, also went to the site.
"It is shocking that, on a main road in the State of Israel, someone would try to murder a Jew just for being Jewish. I want a clear message to be communicated to the despicable, cowardly terrorists who shoot and flee: We are not afraid. We will defeat you," he said.
