Terrorist wounds three, including child, in Jordan Valley gun attack
Two men and a child were wounded in a terror shooting toward a bus on Route 90 in the Jordan Valley.
The terrorist who carried out the shooting was a security officer for the Palestinian Authority, originally from Jenin.
The IDF said that a terrorist shot in the direction of multiple vehicles near Al-Auja in the Jordan Valley and that soldiers in the area arrived at the scene and began pursuing the assailant. By press time, the terrorist was still not apprehended.
Uriel Reins and Keren Gazit, members of Rescue Without Borders, Magen David Adom’s emergency response team for the Jordan Valley region, arrived at the scene and reported that medics were giving first aid in two locations.
Rescue Without Borders also reported that two armored bullet-proof buses carrying students were hit, but no one inside was wounded.
The Bus Drivers’ organization from the National Histadrut, which unites the majority of drivers in Israel, said it was “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 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.”
Yesha Council Chairman Shlomo Ne’eman commented on “another attempt to massacre children, this time a despicable terrorist...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 demand, for the safety of our residents and the residents of the entire State of Israel: it’s time to turn the tide.”
The head of the Central Command visited the attack scene on Thursday afternoon
and conducted an initial assessment. At the time of this writing, IDF troops are still searching for the terrorist.
David Alhiani, chairman of the Jordan Valley Regional Council, said 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 because the buses were protected. There are many security forces and the army who are searching for the terrorist, whose identity is not yet known.”