Nine wounded in West Bank terror shooting, terrorist thwarted

Nine people were wounded near Ariel in the West Bank on Friday when a terrorist opened fire on a civilian bus, the IDF reported.

Security forces stationed near the attack returned fire and shot the terrorist dead soon after it began.

The bus driver and two others were in serious condition, while the IDF said four of the lightly injured were soldiers who were evacuated to a hospital for medical treatment.

Terrorist apprehended

The terrorist was identified as 46-year-old Samer Hussain from the village of Einabus in the Nablus area. Hamas’s military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, took credit for the attack.

Magen David Adom EMT Itamar Hakhamov recounted, “We arrived at the scene with large forces and saw three injured individuals lying near the bus, fully conscious and suffering from gunshot wounds.

“We immediately provided them with initial medical treatment at the scene, which included stopping the bleeding and bandaging, and evacuated them by MDA mobile intensive care units to the hospital in stable condition,” he said. “Additionally, other MDA teams treated several casualties who suffered from glass shrapnel wounds and evacuated them to the hospital in mild condition.”

Regional council head Yossi Dagan said that this attack represents “a significant escalation in the Palestinian Authority’s war of terror, which funds both Fatah and Hamas terrorists.”

“The fact that the terrorist was able to reach a major road in Samaria with a vehicle and carry out a shooting attack as if he were grabbing an espresso in central Tel Aviv is inconceivable,” he continued, adding that it is time to take “decisive action now!”