Neria Leiter, son of Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter, was critically injured in a car-ramming attack near Beit Horon in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, September 23. Leiter, an Israel Defense Forces reservist, was on duty at a checkpoint when a vehicle struck him. Emergency teams took him to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem, where he is receiving treatment. An alleged video of the attack has also surfaced online, but its source and full context have not been independently verified.
His father said doctors are fighting to save his life and asked people to pray for him.
His death was reported after he was shot at the scene. IDF troops at the scene then shot and killed the driver. Neria Leiter was taken to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem. The Israel Defense Forces initially described the wounded soldier as being in serious condition before his identity became known. Yechiel Leiter, who is currently Israel’s ambassador to the United States , spoke about his son after learning of the attack. The attack happened one day before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was scheduled to address the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The attack took place at the Maccabim checkpoint on Route 443 in the West Bank. The Palestinian Ministry of Health identified the driver as 29-year-old Mahmoud Muhammad Mahmoud Suleiman from Beit Ur al-Tahta. Yechiel Leiter said Neria continued serving in the army reserves after his brother’s death and had completed hundreds of reserve-duty days on different fronts since October 7, 2023.
The vehicle accelerated toward a police cruiser at the checkpoint and struck Neria Leiter, who was operating alongside a police officer, according to The Times of Israel. Reports said he suffered critical injuries, while Israeli emergency teams treated him before his evacuation. He said the medical team was working to save Neria’s life. Leiter was returning to Israel from New York after the attack, according to The Times of Israel.
