Written by Layla Hassan
JERUSALEM/CAIRO — An Arab-Israeli citizen opened fire across multiple locations in central Israel’s Sharon region on Sunday morning, killing one Israeli reservist and wounding five others before being shot dead by security forces, Israeli police and the IDF confirmed. Hamas praised the attack as heroic — a stark reminder that even as fragile ceasefire talks resume in Cairo, the violence remains constant on multiple fronts.
The shooting began at a gas station near Kochav Yair, where two people were initially wounded, one seriously. The attacker then continued toward Tzur Yitzhak, where two more sustained moderate injuries. The deadliest stage occurred near Tzur Natan, where Master Sergeant (Res.) Haim Kalomiti — a regional defense soldier serving in the Ephraim Regional Brigade — was killed and another victim seriously wounded. The security coordinator for Tzur Natan was also seriously injured. The attacker fired at security personnel near the settlement of Sal’it before fleeing.
Police Commissioner Daniel Levy described the episode as a killing spree. Security forces quickly identified the attacker as an Arab-Israeli citizen from the city of Taybeh, carrying an Israeli identity card. He was shot and killed during the attack. A second suspect was arrested after detectives received reports of an individual expressing involvement and attempting to hide. Officers moved to detain him; he attempted to stab the arresting detectives before being subdued. No officers were injured.
Hamas issued a statement praising the shooting in Kochav Yair as a heroic operation and a response to the ongoing Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip and the continued crimes in the West Bank.
Meanwhile, in Gaza, the Israeli army killed at least nine people and injured dozens more across the Strip since dawn on Sunday, as Egypt began hosting a new round of ceasefire talks with leaders from Hamas and other Palestinian factions. Five people were killed in a strike on a police post in the al-Mawasi area near Khan Younis; three were killed in the Zeitoun neighbourhood of Gaza City; one person was killed on a beach in Deir el-Balah.
Major fighting has been paused since October 2025 under a US-brokered ceasefire, but no agreement has been reached to implement a further US-backed plan for Israeli troop withdrawal, Hamas disarmament, and Gaza reconstruction. The Israeli military now controls about 64 percent of the Gaza Strip — up from the 53 percent originally envisioned under the ceasefire framework. On May 28, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he instructed the military to expand control to 70 percent.
Since the October ceasefire, approximately 947 Palestinians have been killed and more than 2,900 wounded in continued Israeli attacks, according to figures compiled by Al Jazeera. Hamas fighters have killed four Israeli soldiers during the same period. Families have received displacement orders only minutes before their homes were bombed.
Hamas told envoys from the Board of Peace and mediators Egypt, Qatar and Turkey that ending Israeli attacks in Gaza was essential for any progress, sources from the group and officials close to the Cairo talks told Reuters. The discussions are expected to continue for several days.
— Layla Hassan, Media Hook | Jerusalem