Israel's US Ambassador Says Son Critically Wounded in West Bank Ramming Attack

A Palestinian driver rammed a car into a police and military crew at a checkpoint on Route 443 in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, critically wounding an Israeli reservist who is the son of Israel's ambassador to the United States. The attacker was shot and killed at the scene. The ambassador is flying home from Washington instead of attending the UN General Assembly.

Israel's US Ambassador Says Son Critically Wounded in West Bank Ramming Attack

MACCABIM CHECKPOINT, West Bank — A driver rammed a car into a police patrol at the Bell checkpoint, also known as the Maccabim checkpoint, on Route 443 on Wednesday, 23 September 2026, critically wounding a reserve soldier identified by his family as Neria Leiter. His father, Israel's ambassador to the United States, confirmed the identification within hours.

One Soldier, One Driver, and a Checkpoint on Route 443

The checkpoint sits on Route 443 near Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut, in the West Bank area west of the settlement of Beit Horon and west of Ramallah, in the Binyamin Region. Route 443 is the main road linking Jerusalem to settlements in the northern West Bank. Magen David Adom, Israel's national emergency service, said it received the first alert of the ramming at 4:54 p.m., which places the attack in the late afternoon. At the time, a police officer and a soldier were conducting vehicle searches at the intersection as a joint operation for the Judea and Samaria District. The site is a short distance from Beit Ur al-Tahta, the village where the driver lived. By nightfall the count stood at one soldier wounded and the attacker killed.

What Israeli Police Say Happened

Israeli police said "a terrorist drove his vehicle toward a Judea and Samaria District police patrol car and rammed one of the squad members, seriously injuring him. Forces at the scene eliminated the terrorist. Additional police forces are on their way to the scene, and an investigation has been launched." The police account of the seconds before impact describes the driver travelling from west to east on a route used by Palestinian traffic before abruptly veering left and accelerating toward a police vehicle. Inside it were an officer and a soldier conducting the joint operation. The driver targeted a police officer and a second crew member standing outside their patrol car, running down Neria Leiter. A soldier stationed nearby moved to intercept the assailant, who attempted to strike him as well, before other troops opened fire and killed him at the scene. Agence France-Presse, citing police, reported that the driver went at high speed toward a policewoman and a soldier who were carrying out vehicle searches.

The Wounded Man Was the American Ambassador's Son

The soldier struck by the vehicle was Neria Leiter, an American citizen, an IDF reservist, and the son of Israel's ambassador to the United States, Yechiel (Michael) Leiter. Outlets have rendered the first name as Neria, Neriya and Neriah, and the family and the ambassador use Neria. Israeli media place him in his 30s, while United Hatzalah paramedics described the man they treated as approximately 35 years old. He was at the checkpoint as part of a police patrol crew, and was among those carrying out the searches. Medics found him unconscious after he was struck. He was evacuated with a head injury to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem in serious and unstable condition. Hospital officials said he arrived at the trauma unit unconscious, underwent lifesaving procedures, and was then transferred for further examinations sedated and ventilated.

A Family That Has Already Buried One Son

The Leiter family has already lost a son to this war. Neria's older brother, Maj. (res.) Moshe Yedidya Leiter, 39, was killed while deployed in Gaza in November 2023. Israeli media described him as a company commander in the 551st Brigade's 697th Battalion; Al Jazeera described him as an Israeli Air Force officer. Neria went back to the reserves after his brother was killed and has served hundreds of reserve duty days on various fronts since 7 October, the detail his father put at the centre of his public appeal. The ambassador's post made the family's service record part of the case he was making, set out alongside the news of his son's condition. The family asked the public to pray for him under his Hebrew name, Neria Dov ben Chana.

'Neria Needs a Miracle': The Family's Appeal

Ambassador Yechiel Leiter addressed the attack in a post on X. "I am grateful to the IDF, to the medical team at Shaare Zedek who are now fighting to save the life of Neria Dov ben Chana, and for the prayers of the people of Israel," he wrote. He added: "I believe in the power of prayer, and I believe that when the people of Israel unite, miracles happen. Neria needs a miracle." The same post said: "Neria continued to serve in the reserves after losing his older brother Moshe, and he has done hundreds of reserve duty days on various fronts since October 7th." He also framed the attack in national terms: "Palestinian terrorism aims to uproot the people of Israel from its land. They choose death - we choose life."

Netanyahu, Katz and Danon React

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded in a post on X: "My wife Sara and I, together with all the people of Israel, are praying for a miracle. Yechiel, my dear, we are all with you." Defense Minister Israel Katz said: "Yechiel, I stand with you and your family, and I pray alongside the entire nation of Israel for your son's recovery." Danny Danon, Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, said: "All of Israel is praying for your son ... who was critically wounded in today's heinous terrorist attack." The statements were issued within hours of the attack and were addressed to the ambassador personally. They centred on the wounded man's condition and on the family's recent history rather than on any announced policy response.

The Attacker, and the Two Versions of His Age

The Palestinian Health Ministry said it had been informed of the death of 29-year-old Mahmoud Mohammad Mahmoud Suleiman, "who was shot by Israeli forces near the village of Beit Ur Al-Tahta, west of Ramallah," and added that Israeli authorities were withholding his body. Israel National News gave a different age for the same man, describing him as a 24-year-old bachelor from that village. The discrepancy was unresolved in the hours after the attack: the Palestinian Health Ministry, Agence France-Presse, Al Jazeera, the Times of Israel and CNN all said 29, while Israel National News said 24. The Ministry also said the attacker was shot and killed at the scene. No organisation has been named as claiming responsibility for the ramming, and no source in the immediate reporting asserted an organisational affiliation for the driver.

The Ambassador Is Flying Home Instead of to the UN

The incident came hours before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was due to address the United Nations General Assembly in New York, and one day before the speech was scheduled. Israel's public broadcaster Kan reported that the ambassador had been meant to attend that address, but was instead flying back to Israel to see his son. Leiter left the United States shortly after learning of his son's condition, and will not join the prime minister at the General Assembly. The speech is scheduled for Thursday, 24 September, the day after the attack, and no change to that schedule has been announced.

Three Days Earlier, in the Same Region

Three days before the checkpoint attack, on the Eve of Yom Kippur, Sunday 20 September 2026, Netanel Shakron, 48, a resident of Alei Zahav, was murdered in a shooting attack at the Ein Raya spring in Binyamin, near Neveh Tzuf. He had arrived at the spring with his 16-year-old son. When the terrorist opened fire, Shakron spotted him and shouted a warning to his son, saving his life. He is survived by six children. The gunman was wounded at the scene by an IDF tracker and captured several hours later by Duvdevan forces at a hospital in Ramallah. That Sunday, an Israeli settler was also shot dead in the West Bank, and the military reported a separate attempted car-ramming in which the perpetrator was killed. Against that backdrop, the IDF announced it will deploy the 98th Division headquarters to the southern West Bank to strengthen command and control.

What Is Not Established

Several elements remain unconfirmed. The attacker's age is disputed between two accounts, and neither figure has been settled independently. The victim's exact age has not been given, and the hospital has disclosed his admission condition rather than a prognosis. Beyond the incident itself, Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967, and violence there has surged since Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the war in Gaza. An AFP tally based on Palestinian health ministry data counts 1,110 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the territory since the start of the Gaza war. Israeli figures count at least 49 Israelis, including civilians and security personnel, killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations over the same period.

By Jessica Ali, Staff Writer

This article was produced with AI-assisted research and editorial support. Sources: Al Jazeera, Agence France-Presse via Arab News, The Media Line, The Jerusalem Post, Israel National News, Times Now, and reporting aggregated by Ground News.