Yeshiva student Yehuda Guetta, 19, died Wednesday from wounds sustained in a drive-by shooting at Tapuach Junction. Doctors at Rabin Medical Center in Petah Tikva had been fighting for his life over the past few days.
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The suspect in the attack, 44-year-old Muntasir Shalabi, a resident of Turmus Ayya, was arrested following a joint operation by the Shin Bet intelligence agency, the Israel Defense Forces, and Israel Police.
In a statement, Israel Police said that "acting on Shin Bet intelligence, Shin Bet and special police counter-terrorism unit forces raided a building where the suspect had been hiding in Silwad. The assailant, who was not affiliated with any organization, was taken for Shin Bet questioning."
A Jerusalem resident, Guetta had studied at the Itamar Yeshiva. He leaves behind two parents, four brothers, and two sisters.
Two other yeshiva students were also wounded in the attack, one seriously.
In a statement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent his "deep condolences to the family of Yehuda Guetta, may he rest in peace."
He acknowledged: "These are difficult times for the Guetta family, and all the people of Israel are with them in their time of grief."
President Reuven Rivlin sent a "courageous embrace, strength, and prayers to comfort the family of Yehuda, who was murdered in a shooting attack at Tapuach Junction this week. How great is the pain and sorrow over the lustrousness of youth that was taken by this vile terrorist. Give strength to our forces that tonight, caught the lowly murdered. We will not stand aside as cruel terror raises its head, and we will fight it every way, with perseverance and determination.
Defense Minister Benny Gantz said, "My heart is with the Guetta family, who have lost Yehuda, just 19, tonight after he was shot in an atrocious attack at Tapuach Junction.
You have my "deepest condolences," he said. "May you know no more sorrow."
In response to the murder, Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan called to restore blockades across Judea and Samaria and establish a new settlement in Samaria.
He called the killing "a terrible tragedy, not just for the Itamar Yeshiva and Samaria settlements but for the entire State of Israel."
Palestinian officials said a 16-year-olf Palestinian boy was killed when IDF troops fired at Palestinians hurling Molotov cocktails at them late on Wednesday near the Palestinian village of Beita, south of Nablus. The IDF had been searching the area for the Tapuach Junction attacker at the time.
"The troops operated to stop the suspects by firing towards them," an Israeli military spokeswoman said, adding that the incident would be investigated.
Residents of Beita and the nearby village of Odala say there have been clashes between Palestinians and Israeli troops near the villages' entrances the past several nights.
A second Palestinian was shot in the back during the clashes on Wednesday and was being treated in hospital, the Palestinian health ministry said.
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