A young Palestinian tried on Monday morning to infiltrate Jerusalem through a breach in the separation fence near Atarot – the same opening used a week earlier by two gunmen who carried out the deadly shooting attack at the Ramot junction. He climbed the wall with the help of a rope ladder. Initial reports claimed he was critically wounded and treated at the scene by Red Crescent medics, but later his death was confirmed.
Identity of the killed: 22-year-old from Silat ad-Dhahr
Palestinian sources identified him as Sand Hantouli, a 22-year-old resident of Silat ad-Dhahr in the northern West Bank, south of Jenin. His home is located nearly 100 kilometers from Jerusalem, and the purpose of his attempted infiltration into the city remains unclear.
Breach in the fence exposes security failures
According to Palestinian reports, Hantouli did not have a valid permit to stay in Israel. Security forces noted that the same breach used today – and by the Ramot attackers last week – is well-known to Israeli authorities, and is exploited daily by thousands of Palestinians entering Israel illegally for work.
The breach, located near the Qalandiya camp and the Atarot industrial zone, is part of the separation barrier that suffers from chronic weaknesses. A 2021 State Comptroller’s report highlighted that only about 50% of the seam line is effective in preventing infiltrations, with an estimated 1.4 million illegal entries each year. After the Ramot attack, forces increased their presence in the area, yet the breach remained partially open, allowing daily crossings.
The Ramot connection: last week’s deadly attack
On September 8, 2025, the Ramot junction became the site of a deadly shooting. Two Palestinian attackers – Methna Amro from al-Qubeiba and Muhammad Taha from Qatanna – entered Israel through the same breach near Qalandiya. They opened fire at civilians waiting at a bus stop, just as bus line 62 arrived. Six Israeli civilians were killed: Mordechai (Mark) Steintzig, Sarah Mendelson, Rabbi Levi Yitzhak Pash, Yaakov Pinto, Yosef David, and Israel Metzner. Twelve others were wounded, some critically. The gunmen were neutralized by a soldier and an armed civilian.
(Gaze of Jerusalem: Protest reveals city demographics)
Palestinian union: “Apartheid wall”
Palestinian organizations rushed to condemn today’s killing of Hantouli. The Palestinian Workers’ Union claimed he was an innocent young man trying to cross the “racist apartheid wall” in search of livelihood. The union added that his killing was part of ongoing measures against Palestinian laborers, leaving them “trapped between the jaws of unemployment on one side and death at checkpoints and the separation barrier on the other.”
