JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Shocking footage has emerged from the tragic incident in which Benayahu Maltt HYD was murdered in a terrorist attack on Friday morning. The terrorist, a local sheikh, can be seen snatching the weapon from one of the security guards accompanying the hikers and opening fire on them.

Participants in the hiking group involved in the deadly terror attack near Havat Gilad described the sequence of events, alleging serious failures by the military forces that responded to the scene.

According to the hikers, the group of approximately 60 participants set out from Har Bracha before dawn. They were accompanied by two security escorts carrying long firearms, while several other civilians were armed with handguns. During the hike, the group stopped at a spring near the Sela Ridge.

The hikers said the first incident occurred at approximately 7:05 a.m., when several Palestinians from the area arrived, throwing stones and attacking the group with clubs. One hiker was injured in the face, prompting the group to withdraw and continue walking toward Havat Gilad.

The hikers further claimed that about an hour later, at around 8:05 a.m., dozens of Palestinians from the nearby village of Tel launched a second attack, surrounding the group from three directions.

According to their account, armed civilians opened fire in self-defense. However, they alleged that the first soldier to arrive at the scene “refused to fire,” and that even after additional troops arrived, the soldiers “did nothing and refused to open fire.”

The witnesses said members of Havat Gilad’s civilian security team attempted to push back the attackers, firing warning shots into the air, while other armed civilians also joined efforts to defend the group.

The hikers further alleged that during the confrontation, one of the attackers, whom they identified as a village sheikh, managed to seize the weapon of one of the civilian security personnel and opened fire on the group. According to their testimony, only after that did the soldiers return fire.

The claims made by the hikers have not been independently verified, and the IDF has not yet responded publicly to the specific allegations.