IDF officer hit by rock while driving in West Bank, moderately hurt

Projectile smashes through windshield of vehicle east of Nablus; the 23-year-old man, on leave, was with his father at the time

By ToI Staff 20 September 2019, 5:02 pm

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The windshield of a car whose driver was hit by a rock and moderately injured in the West Bank, Friday, September 20, 2019 (Rescue services)

An Israeli military officer on leave was moderately wounded Friday afternoon after being hit in the face with a rock while driving in the northern West Bank.

The 23-year-old was hit when the rock flew through the windshield of his car near the settlement of Ma’aleh Shomron, west of Nablus. The officer’s father was with him in the car at the time.

The wounded man was treated by medics at the scene and taken to a hospital in Petah Tikva.

Several other rock-throwing incidents against Israeli cars were reported in the area, with no injuries.

Rock-throwing attacks against Israeli vehicles are common in the West Bank, though they rarely cause casualties. Extremist settlers have also been known to attack Palestinian drivers with rocks, and in one incident last year an Israeli teen is accused of having thrown a rock that killed a Palestinian woman.

Friday’s attack came a day after security guards at a checkpoint near Jerusalem shot and killed a Palestinian woman carrying a knife.

Police have said the guards were in “immediate danger” when they shot and killed the woman, though a widely circulated video of the shooting has raised concerns about excessive force.