Terror shooting attack near Ashdod kills police officer, wounds four, attacker killed

Advanced-Staff-Sergeant Major Adir Kadosh died from a gunfire wound while being evacuated to Samson Assuta Ashdod University Hospital following a shooting terror attack, with another four wounded, on Highway 4 near Ashdod, the hospital reported on Tuesday.

The terrorist was a Palestinian from Gaza who entered Israel before the war and has remained in the country for the past year, according to Army Radio.

He approached the highway on foot, the police reported.

Once he arrived, he shot a police officer, mortally wounding him, and then proceeded to begin shooting at nearby civilians, wounding another four before being eliminated by a civilian. 

At 11:06, reports of shootings on Highway 4 near Yavne interchange and Nir Galim junction. MDA teams are treating and evacuating a 30-year-old in critical condition from Yavne, and a 42-year-old in moderate condition with glass injuries from Nir Galim to Assuta Hospital, Ashdod. pic.twitter.com/ue4tXBMksu

— Magen David Adom (@Mdais) October 15, 2024

A second wounded arrived at the hospital and was being treated in the hospital's trauma room, and is in moderate condition. The hospital further noted at the time that two more wounded were en route to the hospital, one of which was a doctor who was at the scene assisting the wounded.

Palestinian from Gaza behind thr attack, in Israel since before war

United Hatzalah volunteer EMTs Doron Sabah, Shmuel Bechor, and Alexi Gretznikov who treated a fatally wounded man at the first scene, reported: "We provided initial treatment at the scene and performed CPR on a 30-year-old man in critical condition. We were also told that other first responders and a United Hatzalah ambulance team treated at two additional locations a person in light to moderate condition who was transported to the hospital by the United Hatzalah ambulance, and a lightly injured man. It was also reported that another driver was injured by shards of glass and continued driving to the Nir Galim intersection."

Additionally, a 37-year-old man was evacuated to the Kaplan Medical Center in Rehovot, the hospital reported. The man was moderately wounded from a gunshot to the thigh and was undergoing medical treatment in the hospital's shock room. 

Magen David Adom emergency medical technician Avner Ben David, who arrived at the scene of the attack, said: "We arrived at the scene with large forces and saw a man in his 30s at the side of the road, unconscious, without a pulse or breath, and with gunshot wounds to his body. We began performing resuscitation efforts, loaded him into the intensive care ambulance, and quickly evacuated him to the hospital while continuing resuscitation efforts as his condition was critical."

The shooting attack in road 4 is the fourth deadly terror attack inside Israel in the last two weeks. A terror wave inside Israel is what Hamas, and others, want https://t.co/0ZEHI6ig0d pic.twitter.com/u3IUbudLKL

— Guy Elster (@guyelster) October 15, 2024

The reports of victims being evacuated follow a police announcement concerning a shooting terror attack on Highway 4 near Ashdod where one person was fatally wounded and several others were wounded to varying degrees.

The police further noted that officers from the Yavne station were at the scene working to isolate the area, as well as scan for additional wounded and terrorists.

The attacker was eliminated, Israeli media reported, noting that the civilian who killed the terrorist had received his personal firearm approximately three months ago in July as part of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's reform.

This is a developing story.