A 40-year-old teacher was shot in the parking lot of a school in Hura, northeast of Beersheba, on Thursday morning.
According to the Teachers' Union, the teacher arrived at the school and parked his car at 7:40 a.m. While he was sitting in the vehicle, masked figures approached and shot him in both legs.
Students were in the area at the time of the shooting.
The shooter's identity and motive remain unclear at the time of writing.
Magen David Adom paramedics arrived at the scene and provided initial medical care to the victim before evacuating them to Soroka Medical Center, Beersheba, for further treatment.
The victim was in moderate condition at the time of their hospitalization, MDA said.
The school suspended classes after the incident until Sunday morning, and released a statement cited in Israeli media.
"This is an extremely serious incident and a crossing of a clear red line. We wish to convey a clear message to students and parents alike: the school is a protected and safe space," the school said.
"Harming a teacher or any staff member is an attack on the heart of the educational system, and we will not tolerate it. Violence is not a way to resolve disputes, is not legitimate under any circumstances, and will not be part of the agenda," it added.
Deputy Secretary General of the Teachers' Union and Chairman of the Beersheba and Kiryat Gat branches, Dr. Eliezer Winograd, said that the incident was all the more serious due to having occurred in the vicinity of students.
"Children should not arrive in the morning at a place that is supposed to provide them with security and find themselves near a shooting scene," he said. "The education system cannot function when educators are exposed to serious violence on the way to class and at the entrance to their workplace."
National Parents' Leadership condemns teacher shooting
The National Parents' Leadership organization strongly condemned the shooting, calling it an attempt at murder.
"This is a dangerous and serious crossing of the line that must not be tolerated," the organization stated. "Shooting at an educator is a shocking event that requires immediate and decisive treatment."
The organization added that "A school must be a protected and safe space, not an arena for settling scores or a place where weapons and shooting endanger the lives of students and staff. The fact that such an event occurs in the vicinity of an educational institution should turn on a red light for all of us.
"This must be put to an end. We support the teacher, his family, and the school staff and expect all responsible parties to act decisively to ensure that students and educators can get to and from school safely."
Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.