Family and friends attend the funeral of Netanel Shukrun, who was murdered in a shooting at the Ein Raya spring near Neve Tzuf in Samaria, at the cemetery of his community of Alei Zahav, Sept. 22, 2026. (Photo by Hilel Ben Or\/Flash90)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth, head of the Israel Defense Forces\u2019 Central Command, and Brig. Gen. Kobi Heller, commander of the IDF\u2019s Judea and Samaria Division, attended the funeral, Ynet<\/i> reported.<\/p>\n
Shukrun lived in the Israeli community of Alei Zahav. He was murdered in a terrorist shooting on Sunday morning at the Ein Raya spring, where he had gone with his eldest son, Yoav, 16, to immerse ahead of Yom Kippur.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Shukrun family is a longstanding family with deep roots in the community and an inseparable part of Alei Zahav,\u201d a community representative said in a statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are all embracing Merav and the children and will stand by them during this difficult time and in whatever they may need,\u201d the statement said. \u201cMay his memory be a blessing.\u201d<\/p>\n
His son later recounted the horrifying moment when the terrorist opened fire at his father.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe arrived at the spring ahead of Yom Kippur, immersed in the water, and then went back up to the parking lot,\u201d Yoav Shukrun related in Hebrew, speaking on Tuesday with Israel\u2019s Kan<\/i> public radio station.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe got into the car. Dad sat in the back seat and dried himself off, while I sat in the passenger seat next to the driver. Suddenly he shouted at me, \u2018Yoav, there\u2019s a terrorist here,\u2019 or \u2018Yoav, this is a terror attack,\u2019 something along the lines of \u2018run.\u2019 I didn\u2019t realize there was an attack until he shouted. I turned my head and saw the terrorist actually shooting at Dad,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe terrorist came from my side. He was a few centimeters away from me, but he didn\u2019t shoot at me immediately; instead, he opened fire at Dad. At that point, I moved between the seats to the driver\u2019s side, opened the door, and ran. The terrorist continued shooting at me as I ran to hide among the bushes on the other side of the road,\u201d Yoav continued.<\/p>\n
The teenager hid in the bushes until a military vehicle arrived at the scene.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter the soldiers fired several shots, I went back to the car. About two minutes had passed. I saw Dad lying there inside the vehicle, and I immediately understood from his injuries that he was gone,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Yom Kippur was \u201cvery difficult and special. Suddenly you understand the true meaning of the Day of Judgment,\u201d said Yoav.<\/p>\n
He related that he had a very good relationship with his father. \u201cI want people to remember his smile, and I want them to smile a lot, too,\u201d he told Kan<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Netanel Shukrun\u2019s widow, Merav, eulogized her husband at the funeral, saying, \u201cAt the very last second, he warned Yoav. Thank you, Nati, for your bravery and for seeing Yoav,\u201d according to Kan<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan, who attended the funeral, addressed Yoav, saying, \u201cHe told you, \u2018Terrorist! Run!\u2019 Yoav, you are a true hero; Dad is proud of you for listening to him. You saved your own life and the lives of everyone who was at the spring, because the terrorist ran after you,\u201d the report added.<\/p>\n
Netanel Shukrun was a father of six and worked as an information systems analyst, Hebrew media reported. His wife holds a PhD in computer science and lectures in artificial intelligence at Ariel University. His grandfather, who was a rabbi in Algeria, was murdered on the steps of a synagogue some 70 years ago, a family member noted during the funeral.<\/p>\n
The terrorist who killed him is a Hamas operative, per Ynet<\/i>. He was detained after being shot and wounded by soldiers. He reportedly visited the Ein Raya spring a day before the attack to observe the area, knowing that Israelis come to immerse in the spring on the eve of Yom Kippur.<\/p>\n
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said on Monday that the attack was the first case to meet the criteria of his law that imposes the death penalty on terrorists.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe terrorist is alive, and therefore this is a mandatory punishment,\u201d Ben-Gvir said on X.<\/p>\n
The Otzma Yehudit Party demands that the law be applied to \u201cthe accursed terrorist,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
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