
IDF Identifies Reserve Soldier Killed in Sharon Terror Shooting as Chaim Klomity Hy”d
The IDF has cleared for publication the identity of the reserve soldier killed in Sunday’s deadly shooting attack in the Sharon region. The victim was identified as Master Sergeant (Res.) Chaim Klomity Hy”d, 55, of Tzur Natan, who served as a regional defense fighter in Battalion 8881 of the Ephraim Brigade.
According to the IDF, Klomity was killed during the terror attack near Tzur Natan. Another reserve soldier was seriously wounded in the same incident and was evacuated to a hospital for treatment. His family has been notified.
The attack began at approximately 10:36 a.m., when police received reports of gunfire at a gas station and fast-food restaurant near the entrance to Kochav Yair. Following the initial reports, Central District Commander Amir Cohen declared the incident a terrorist attack and dispatched large numbers of police officers, Border Police personnel, and additional security forces to the area.
Preliminary findings indicate that the terrorist, an Israeli citizen in his 20s from Tayibe, left the city in his vehicle shortly after 10:30 a.m. and embarked on a shooting spree across several locations.
Authorities said the gunman first opened fire at civilians at a gas station in the Tzur Yigal area, wounding two people. He then drove to Tzur Yitzchak, where he fired at a security post at the entrance to the community, injuring another civilian.
The attacker later arrived in Tzur Natan, where he carried out another shooting at a security position, wounding a security guard and a nearby woman. He then continued his rampage, firing at a reserve soldier traveling in his vehicle and fatally wounding him. That victim was later identified as Klomity.
The terrorist subsequently reached the entrance to Sal’it, where he again opened fire toward a security post. The community’s security chief engaged the gunman, returned fire, and exchanged shots with him, forcing the attacker to flee the area.
At the same time, police officers, Border Police units, IDF troops, and civilian emergency response teams established roadblocks and launched extensive search operations. A police helicopter assisted in the manhunt from the air.
At approximately 11:03 a.m., officers from the Tayibe police station located the suspect and began pursuing him. The chase ended in an open area near the quarries between Tzur Natan and Tayibe, where the terrorist was neutralized and killed.
The shooting spree left one Israeli dead and several others wounded with varying degrees of injuries.
As part of the ongoing investigation, several members of the terrorist’s family have been arrested and questioned. Investigators from the Sharon Major Crimes Unit, together with officers from the Tira police station, also arrested an additional suspect believed to have assisted the attacker. Authorities said he is expected to be brought before a court for a remand hearing following the completion of initial questioning.
{Matzav.com}