IDF on manhunt for terrorist who wounded three, including child, in Jordan Valley

Two men and a child were wounded in a terror shooting toward a bus on Route 90 in the Jordan Valley, the IDF confirmed Thursday morning.

According to Israeli media, the terrorist who carried out the shooting was a security officer for the Palestinian Authority, originally from Jenin, in the West Bank.

Initially, the IDF reported the shooting incident early Thursday morning. 

After initial reports, Magen David Adom stated: "At 07:04, a report was received at MDA's 101 hotline in the Gilboa area about a shooting at two vehicles on Road 90 near Al-Auja. MDA medics and paramedics provided medical treatment to three wounded: a 30-year-old man in moderate to serious condition with gunshot wounds to his limbs, a 21-year-old man in mild condition with a gunshot wound to his limbs and a 13-year-old boy in mild condition with from glass shrapnel wounds to the face. They referred the wounded to Hadassah Hospital in Mount Scopus."

The IDF later added that a terrorist shot in the direction of multiple vehicles near Al-Auja in the Jordan Valley division of the West Bank. It also announced that soldiers in the area arrived at the scene and began pursuing the terrorist.

Uriel Reins and Keren Gazit, members of Rescue Without Borders, MDA's emergency response team for the Jordan Valley region, arrived at the scene and reported that medics were giving first aid in two locations, one near the entrance of the town of Naomi.

Rescue Without Borders also reported that two armored bullet-proof buses carrying students were hit, but no one inside was wounded.

Later, emergency MDA medic Lital Kruwani arrived at the scene and gave her account of what happened.

"We were rushed to the entrance to Kibbutz Na'aran. We saw a vehicle with two men who were wounded. According to them, when they passed near Al-Auja, they were shot at, and they continued driving until the entrance to Kibbutz Na'aran," she said.

"One wounded man, a man about 30 years old, was fully conscious with gunshot wounds to his lower limbs and a second man, 21 years old, with a gunshot wound On foot. We gave them life-saving medical treatment and evacuated them to the hospital. The 30-year-old man's condition is moderate. MDA medics and paramedics provide medical treatment and refer him to the hospital for serious and minor injuries," Kruwani added.

Reactions to the attack

Likud MK Dan Illouz responded to the attack on a post on X, saying, "Terror must be defeated in all arenas while defeating the enemy and deepening our roots in the land of our ancestors. Now is the precise time to apply sovereignty to the Jordan Valley, an area whose importance is not disputed in Israeli society. This will be a victory picture that will be remembered for generations."

את הטרור צריך לנצח בכל הזירות, תוך הכרעת האויב והעמקת השורשים שלנו בארץ אבותינו. דווקא עכשיו, זה הזמן להחיל ריבונות על בקעת הירדן, איזור שאין חולק בחברה הישראלית על חשיבותו. זו תהיה תמונת ניצחון שתיזכר לדורות. pic.twitter.com/OVAoli32g5

— דן אילוז - Dan Illouz (@dillouz) March 28, 2024

The Bus Drivers' organization from the National Histadrut, which unites the majority of drivers in Israel, issued a statement following the shooting incident, which damaged multiple buses: "This is not the first time that buses and bus drivers have been attacked by gunfire. Buses are a symbol of government, and for this reason, they are repeatedly attacked. This is an ongoing terror against the drivers and passengers. The time has come to promote bus security immediately so that every bus will have a security guard as it was in the past. The blood of the drivers and passengers must not be wasted." 

Chairman of the Yesha Council, Shlomo Ne'eman, gave the following statement in response to the attack: "Another attempt to massacre children, this time a despicable terrorist is shooting at a school bus in the Jordan Valley. We send recovery wishes to the wounded and expect the security forces to reach the terrorists and settle the score quickly. We come back and demand, for the safety of our residents and the residents of the entire State of Israel - it's time to turn the tide."

"The Palestinian Authority is waging a war against us, and only action with the same force as in Gaza will eliminate all threats throughout the West Bank. We call on the government of Israel and its leader, on the one hand, to allow the development of the settlement without restrictions and, on the other hand, to go to war to eliminate the vile enemy, he added.

"Jewish blood is not wasted. To all those who wish us harm, we say that even this morning, we will not give in to terrorism that tries to shed Jewish blood and expel us from our country. We will continue to live and develop without fear and dread."

The commander of the Central Command visited the attack scene early this afternoon and conducted an initial assessment of the attack. At the time of writing, IDF troops are still searching for the terrorist. 

Additionally, chairman of the Jordan Valley Regional Council David Alhiani stated that "from what we know so far, a terrorist fired at two Israeli vehicles and two buses that were transporting students to schools in the Jordan Valley."

"We have photographs documenting the terrorist that stood in the middle of the road and fired. This is a road that sees 2.5 million vehicles a year."

Alhiani added that "fortunately, a major disaster was avoided due to the fact that the buses were protected. There are many security forces and the army who are searching for the terrorist, whose identity is not yet known."