Israeli politicians and leaders reacted to the terrorist attack that killed Tzeela Gez on her way to give birth to her fourth child on Wednesday night.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to the attack on Thursday morning, saying he was deeply shocked. "This despicable event reflects exactly the difference between us and the vile terrorists whose goal in life is to kill us. I trust that the security forces, even in this case, will quickly reach the murderers and bring them to justice, along with everyone who helped them."
President Isaac Herzog wrote that the murder was "a criminal act of terror that chills every heart. Precisely at a moment of life, a life was cruelly taken. My heart goes out to the grieving family and to all her lovers and loved ones who are deeply shaken. We are all praying now for the well-being of the baby and the recovery of her injured husband, Hananel. Terrorism will not defeat the Israeli spirit. We will pursue terrorism everywhere, and we will not be silent. May her memory be blessed!"
רצח צאלה גז ז״ל, בדרכה לחדר לידה, הוא מעשה טרור נפשע שמצמרר כל לב. דווקא ברגע של חיים - נקטפו חיים באכזריות. ליבי עם המשפחה האבלה ועם כל אוהביה ואהוביה שמזועזעים עמוקות. כולנו מתפללים עתה לשלומו של התינוק ולרפואת בעלה הפצוע חננאל. הטרור לא ינצח את הרוח הישראלית. נרדוף את הטרור… pic.twitter.com/y23HizV0gE
— יצחק הרצוג Isaac Herzog (@Isaac_Herzog) May 15, 2025
Opposition leader Yair Lapid wrote: "A difficult and painful morning. Tzeela Gez was murdered in cold blood last night in a despicable terrorist attack. Our hearts are with her family, and we pray for the full recovery of her husband and the health of the little baby that the medical teams will deliver after the attack."
בוקר קשה וכואב. צאלה גז נרצחה אמש בדם קר בפיגוע טרור נתעב.הלב של כולנו עם משפחתה, ואנו מתפללים להחלמה מלאה של בעלה ולבריאותו של התינוק הקטן שהצוותים הרפואיים יילדו לאחר הפיגוע.הטרור הרצחני לא ישבור אותנו. אני סומך על כוחות הביטחון שימצאו את כל מי שידו הייתה חלק מהפיגוע ויביא…
— יאיר לפיד - Yair Lapid (@yairlapid) May 15, 2025
"Murderous terrorism will not break us. I trust the security forces to find everyone who was involved in the attack and bring them to justice. May her memory be blessed," Lapid added.
National Unity leader Benny Gantz wrote on X: "Very bad news this evening, the heinous attack in Samaria...Only human monsters are capable of shooting a woman in advanced pregnancy, this is the face of evil we are up against. In the face of this murderous terror, we must act with strength and determination, anywhere and anytime."
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called on Netanyahu to restore all West Bank checkpoints following the attack. "I call on the Prime Minister to instruct the IDF to immediately and permanently restore all checkpoints in Judea and Samaria, and to fulfil his commitment to promote the enactment of the death penalty for terrorists. I wish a speedy recovery to those injured in the heinous attack and pray together with the entire people of Israel for their healing."
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich wrote on X, "There is much to say and to question, there is a bitter enemy that must be destroyed in Gaza and also here in Judea and Samaria, but in this difficult hour, I only ask all the people of Israel to pray for the healing of the wounded. 'Please God, please heal them.'"
*יו״ר הציונות הדתית שר האוצר בצלאל סמוטריץ׳ הגיע כעת ליישוב ברוכין ונמצא בחמ״ל צוות חרום היישובי עם התושבים.*״יש הרבה מה להגיד ולתחקר, יש אויב מר שצריך להשמיד בעזה וגם כאן ביו״ש אבל בשעה הקשה הזו אני רק מבקש מכל עם ישראל להתפלל לרפואת הפצועים. ׳אל נא רפא נא להם׳.״ pic.twitter.com/hekjq4OEey
— בצלאל סמוטריץ' (@bezalelsm) May 14, 2025
'If there is no security in Samaria, there will be no security in Tel Aviv either'
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett said on X: "I pray with all my heart for them. Let there be no doubt: if there is no security in Samaria, there will be no security in Tel Aviv either. The enemy wants to murder us everywhere. We must eliminate it."
"Tzeela Gez was murdered by the sons of death on her way to bring life. Every Jew in the State of Israel should feel safe, everywhere in the country," Bennett wrote in a later post on X.
צאלה גז נרצחה על ידי בני מוות בדרכה להביא חיים. כל יהודי במדינת ישראל צריך להרגיש בטוח, בכל מקום בארץ. ללא ביטחון בברוכין, אין ביטחון בתל אביב. יהי זכרה ברוך pic.twitter.com/UPVUTHT7rv
— Naftali Bennett נפתלי בנט (@naftalibennett) May 15, 2025
Head of the Samaria Regional Council, Yossi Dagan wrote: "Tzeela was a devoted, beloved and smiling woman, who only wanted to live a quiet life, and was murdered on her way to bring life. The council staff and the settlement are with the family and residents at this difficult time."
"I demand that the Israeli government razes the terrorist villages...Jewish blood will no longer be spilled in vain," Dagan added.
MK Limor Son Har-Melech (Otzma Yehudit) wrote that she is "unable to breathe" following the news of the terror attack. Son Har-Melech was notably the victim of a terror attack while pregnant in 2004, in which her husband was murdered.
"I can't help but go back 21 years. I was there too. I was also a pregnant woman traveling with her husband on the roads of Samaria, we too encountered a squad of murderers who fired at our vehicle. Shuli, my beloved husband, was murdered. And I, wounded, was taken to emergency surgery. My daughter Sarah was born then," she added.
"Yesterday, just as we were celebrating Sarah's engagement, the terrible news came. The media called, asking me to be interviewed. I couldn't. The pain was too great," she reflected.
"I imagined Tzeela Gez there, and her husband — that I was praying for his recovery. I imagined how excited they were about the birth, how much they had been waiting for this moment. How they decided that this was the time — now — to get in the car and drive to the hospital. And at that exact moment, a squad of terrorists gathered, deciding that this was the time to murder — to murder them just because they were Jews," she commented.