JERUSALEM (VINnews) — The Prime Minister’s Office on Tuesday denounced French President Emmanuel Macron’s assertion at the United Nations that Hamas has not been active in Judea and Samaria, pointing to the murder of a French-Israeli father of six on the eve of Yom Kippur.

Join our WhatsApp group

Subscribe to our Daily Roundup Email

Macron, speaking at the U.N. General Assembly, said Hamas “has never been active in the West Bank” while criticizing Israeli policy in the area. The Prime Minister’s Office said the remark was a “grotesque absurdity” and “staggering.”

https://vinnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/clashreport_1080p_20260922_165719.mp4

Netanel Shukrun HY”D, a French citizen and father of six from Alei Zahav in Samaria, was shot dead Sunday at the Ein Raya spring near Neve Tzuf. He had gone to immerse with his 16-year-old son ahead of Yom Kippur. According to family accounts and official statements, he warned his son to run before he was killed. The teenager survived.

Israeli officials identified the attacker as a Hamas operative. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Macron’s claim was false and that the murder was one of many Hamas-linked attacks in Judea and Samaria.

The Prime Minister’s Office said Hamas terrorists target Jews in the area almost daily and have murdered numerous Israeli civilians there. “Ignorance is no excuse for erasing their blood,” the statement said.

Shukrun was buried Monday in Alei Zahav. Hundreds attended, including senior officials. His widow, Dr. Meirav Shukrun, and their six children survive him.

Hamas does not govern Judea and Samaria as it does Gaza, but Israeli security agencies have long said the group maintains cells there and has directed or claimed attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers