3 wounded, 2 seriously in West Bank drive-by; shooters at large
Passing vehicle opens fire at civilians waiting at bus stop; IDF forces stationed nearby respond with fire as attackers flee, set up checkpoints; apparent terror attack comes off
heels of PA calling off elections
Three people were wounded, two of them seriously, in an apparent drive-by at the Tapuach Junction in the northern West Bank on Sunday evening.
Magen David Adom teams rushed the wounded to Rabin Medical Center in Petah Tikva.
IDF troops that were stationed nearby opened fire at the suspected vehicle that fled the scene.
The shooting scene at Tapuach Junction in the northern West Bank
(Photo: TPS)
According to eyewitness accounts from the scene, the suspected vehicle stopped near the bus station at the junction and opened fire for at least half a minute. At the time of the shooting, six people were present at the scene, and three of them were hurt. Eyewitnesses also said that the suspected vehicle made a U-turn and fled toward Ramallah.
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IDF forces entered the Palestinian town of Silwad, located northeast of Ramallah, and set up checkpoints in the area. Forces began pursuing after the suspects who remain at large.
The attack took place just days after the Palestinian Authority called off its parliamentary elections which were slated to take place on May 22.
Hamas issued a statement shortly after the attack, calling it “a natural response to Israeli crimes, and a show of support to the Palestinians in Jerusalem and the ongoing Palestinian resistance in the West Bank.”
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) also issued a statement in which it called the event “a message in the name of the entire Palestinian people according to which Jerusalem is a red line and harming the holy sites will blow up in Israel’s face.”
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Magen David Adom paramedic Aviel Mamalia told Ynet that after arriving at the scene, first responders spotted three wounded at the bus station — two were lying on the ground unconscious and the third was sitting down in full consciousness — and provided first aid that included bandaging the wounds and stopping the bleeding before transferring them to the hospital.
