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Solved case · 2015

2015 Shvut Rachel shooting

SOLVEDCONVICTEDCHARGED
Updated
Updated Jul 7, 2026
Near Shvut Rachel, Route 60, West BankView on the map

The short answer

2015 Shvut Rachel shooting in brief

On 29 June 2015, gunmen from a Hamas-linked militant cell fired on a civilian vehicle on Route 60 near Shvut Rachel in the West Bank, wounding four Israelis; one victim, Malachi Rosenfeld, later died of his wounds.

Key facts

Year
2015
Place
Near Shvut Rachel, Route 60, West Bank
Status
SOLVEDSolved
Victims
Malachi Rosenfeld and Yair Hooper
Outcome
Convicted: Amjad Hamad; Charged: Abdallah As'hak and Faiz Ahmed

The coverage index

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The case file

What happened

On the evening of Monday, 29 June 2015, gunmen opened fire on a civilian car traveling along the Allon Road (part of Israeli Route 60), south of Duma in the West Bank. The four occupants were recreational basketball players returning home from a game. They attempted to flee, but automatic weapons fire disabled the vehicle. All four were wounded and taken to hospital, first to Shaare Zedek Medical Center and Hadassah Hospital, Ein Kerem. Malachi Rosenfeld, a student in a joint philosophy and economics program at the Hebrew University, died of his wounds at Shaare Zedek. Yair Hooper sustained injuries to his torso and lower body; two other occupants were also injured. All four victims resided in Kokhav HaShahar, and Rosenfeld was buried there on 1 July 2015.

Israeli security services linked the attack to a militant cell that had, two days earlier, fired on several vehicles, including an ambulance, near Beitin without causing casualties. Multiple Palestinian militant groups — Fatah al-Intifada, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades (Hamas's military wing) — each claimed responsibility.

Seven Palestinians were arrested on suspicion of involvement with the Hamas network behind the attack, six from Silwad and one from Qusra; some arrests were carried out by Palestinian Authority security forces. Those named among the suspects included Amjad Najar, Maad Hamad (suspected shooter), Abdallah Atzhak (suspected getaway driver), Faaz Hamad (who reportedly confessed), and Jamal Younes (who reportedly confessed to disposing of the cell's vehicle and helping acquire weapons). Security officials stated that Ahmed Najar, a Hamas militant living in Jordan who had previously been convicted of murdering six Israelis and was released in the 2011 Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange, was accused of funding and helping direct the operation from Jordan. Saleh al-Arouri, a Hamas operative based in Turkey, was accused of being the overall coordinator of the attack.

Abdallah As'hak and Faiz Ahmed were indicted for the murder. Amjad Hamad was convicted and sentenced to life in prison as leader of the four-man cell that carried out the shooting; in January 2025, his release was agreed as part of a phased Gaza ceasefire deal tied to the release of Israeli hostages.

The attack had wider political effects in Israel, including a temporary restriction on Muslim access to the Temple Mount by Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon, the demolition in November 2015 of the home of Maad Hamed of Kfar Silwad under an Israeli court order, and debate among Israeli lawmakers over new housing permits near Shvut Rachel. The case also featured in Israeli political debate over the practice of releasing convicted militants in prisoner exchanges.

7 dated entries · 2015–2025

Timeline

  1. Gunmen fire on a civilian vehicle on Route 60 near Shvut Rachel, wounding four Israeli basketball players.

  2. Malachi Rosenfeld dies of his wounds at Shaare Zedek Medical Center.

  3. Malachi Rosenfeld is buried in Kokhav HaShahar.

  4. News video released showing arrest of suspect Ahmed Najar.

  5. Palestinian Authority officials reported holding two suspects charged with Rosenfeld's murder.

  6. The house of suspect Maad Hamed in Kfar Silwad is demolished under an Israeli court order.

  7. Release of convicted cell leader Amjad Hamad agreed as part of a phased Gaza ceasefire deal.

5 named in this file

People

Victims first. Every legal label is set from public records and court outcomes, not from the prose.

  • Malachi Rosenfeld

    VICTIM

    Israeli civilian, student, died of wounds sustained in the shooting[3]

  • Yair Hooper

    VICTIM

    Israeli civilian wounded in the shooting, sustained torso and lower body injuries[3]

  • Amjad Hamad

    CONVICTED

    Convicted and sentenced to life in prison as leader of the four-man Hamas cell that carried out the shooting[3]

  • Abdallah As'hak

    CHARGED

    Indicted for the murder; suspected of being the getaway driver[3]

  • Faiz Ahmed

    CHARGED

    Indicted for the murder[3]

From the record

Quick answers

Who was convicted?
Amjad Hamad: Convicted and sentenced to life in prison as leader of the four-man Hamas cell that carried out the shooting

3 cited

Sources

Coverage is not a source: every fact in this file rests on the records below.

  • 2 Press
  • 1 Encyclopedic
  1. Contemporaneous coverage — The Washington Post

    PressThe Washington PostAccessed Jul 10, 2026

  2. Contemporaneous coverage — The New York Times

    PressThe New York TimesAccessed Jul 10, 2026

  3. 2015 Shvut Rachel shooting

    EncyclopedicWikipediaAccessed Jul 10, 2026

Trust

Record history

First published
Jul 10, 2026
Corrections
None

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