The Press Service of Israel has confirmed that Abed Rauf Shteyeh, a 30-year-old resident of Shechem (Nablus), remains at large after turning himself in to the Palestinian Authority (PA) police for the killing of two Israeli soldiers.
The incident occurred on May 29 when Shteyeh rammed his car into Staff Sgt. Eliya Hilel, 20, and Staff Sgt. Diego Shvisha Harsaj, 20, near the entrance to Itamar.
Despite being sighted in a police building in Shechem the night after the attack, Shteyeh was not accepted by the police, who could not guarantee his safety, and was urged to surrender to the Israel Defence Forces (IDF). Subsequently, Shteyeh and his family sought refuge in the PA General Intelligence building, commanded by Col Majid Faraj, responsible for security coordination with Israel.
However, after the family and local police refused to hand him over to Israel, Shteyeh reportedly went into hiding and has not been seen since for killing two Israeli Soldiers.
A Palestinian official disclosed that the PA is hesitant to accept individuals who surrender, citing fears of Israeli reprisals and undermining of the PA’s authority.
Meanwhile, Israeli security forces have intensified efforts, with approximately 4,000 Palestinian terror suspects arrested in Judea and Samaria since October 7, including 1,700 associated with Hamas.
The IDF remains determined to apprehend Shteyeh, with a high-ranking officer vowing, “We will soon put our hands on him, either alive in handcuffs or in a coffin.