A Palestinian gunman opened fire at the troops in a drive-by shooting.
By Erin Viner
Two IDF soldiers were manning an Israeli army post in the Palestinian town of Huwara at the time when the occupant of a passing vehicle shot at them before fleeing the scene.
Both of the victims were rushed to hospital for medical treatment, on in critical condition and the other with “moderate” injuries.
Security services immediately launched a manhunt in search of the assailant. Checkpoints have been set up and all vehicles entering and exiting the town are being inspected.
The incident is the latest of a series of attacks in Huwara.
On 26 February, Israeli brothers IDF Staff Sergeant Hillel Menahim Yaniv, 22, and Yagel Yaakov Yaniv, 20, were murdered when a Palestinian gunman shot them at point blank range as they drove through the flashpoint Palestinian town, north of Ramallah.
The assailant, Abd al-Fattah Hussein Ibrahim Gharusha, died during a subsequent gun-battle during a joint arrest operation in raid in the West Bank city of Jenin by IDF, Israel Security Agency (ISA, Shin Bet), Border Police and its Yamam Counter-terrorism Units.
Just 3 weeks after the killing of the Yanivs, an Arab gunman fired at least 20 bullets at an Israeli-American couple, 41-year-old David Stern and his wife on 19 March. Despite being shot in the head, the former US Marine and weapons instructor managed to return fire and injure the terrorist, who fled the scene.
Israelis are forced to drive through the flashpoint Palestinian town of Huwara every day on Highway 60, which is one of the few roads that runs north to south in the West Bank. Due to congested circumstances, travelers are at risk of attacks while sitting in backed up traffic.
A bypass road was only approved after relatives of terror victims held a hunger strike in front of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence in 2017. Despite a subsequent government approval of a budget, construction only began in February 2021 and is not expected to be completed until early next year.