Amid rising tensions in the West Bank, a 24-year-old Indian-origin Israeli soldier was killed in the Beit El settlement on Wednesday, according to a report by news agency PTI.
Staff Sergeant Geri Gideon Hanghal, a member of the Bnei Menashe community and a resident of Nof HaGalil, served in the Kfir Brigade’s Nahshon Battalion, the Israeli Army stated.
Members of the Bnei Menashe community expressed shock at the tragic loss near Asaf Junction and confirmed that the soldier’s last rites would be performed on Thursday.
In 2020, Hanghal relocated to Israel from northeastern India. Nof HaGalil Mayor Ronen Plot was quoted by Ynetnews, saying, “The city of Nof HaGalil mourns the loss of Staff Sgt. Hanghal. Gideon was a member of the Bnei Menashe community, which is very dear to me—good, humble, and patriotic people.”
It is noteworthy that around 300 Bnei Menashe youths are currently serving in the military during the ongoing conflict, with many of them stationed in combat units.
Originating from Manipur and Mizoram, members of the Bnei Menashe community are believed to be descendants of the Israelite tribe of Menasseh, one of the “lost tribes” of antiquity. Over the past five years, approximately 1,500 members of the community have relocated to Israel, bringing the total number of Bnei Menashe in the country to around 5,000.
Footage from the attack site shows a truck with a Palestinian license plate swerving off a busy highway and crashing into an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) guard post next to a bus stop at high speed before coming to a stop.
The suspect has been identified by Israeli security sources as 58-year-old Hayil Dhaifallah from the central West Bank town of Rafat.
In related news, two Israeli airstrikes conducted overnight and on Wednesday in central Gaza have resulted in the deaths of at least 34 people, including six United Nations staff members and 19 women and children, according to the Associated Press. One of the airstrikes targeted a UN school in the Nuseirat refugee camp, which was housing nearly 12,000 displaced Palestinians.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in Palestine reported that this incident marks the highest death toll among its staff in a single event. In a post on X, UNRWA stated, “Among those killed were the manager of the UNRWA shelter and other team members who were assisting displaced individuals.”
