IDF soldier lightly hurt in car-ramming attack near Ariel; 2 assailants shot dead
Army says troops also killed Palestinian gunman who opened fire at army post in northern West Bank; no injuries after explosive detonates on bus traveling in Bethlehem area
An IDF soldier was lightly wounded in a car-ramming near the settlement of Ariel, the military announced, one of several attacks in the West Bank on Sunday.
Two Palestinian assailants in the vehicle were shot dead.
According to the Israel Defense Forces, the pair arrived by car from the Tapuah Junction and drove against the oncoming traffic toward Ariel, crashing into several cars on the way.
The assailants then tried to ram into IDF soldiers stationed in the area, who opened fire, killing them, the military said.
In their vehicle, the IDF said, troops found a military vest and several assault rifle magazines.
The wounded soldier was taken to a hospital for treatment.
מחבלים יידו מטען חבלה לעבר אוטובוס שנסע סמוך למעלה עמוס במזרח גוש עציון. אין נפגעים ונגרם נזק קל לאוטובוס – המחבלים נמלטו@hod_barel pic.twitter.com/0QhuuxZXEi
— גלצ (@GLZRadio) August 25, 2024
Later in the evening, the IDF said an explosive detonated on a civilian bus near the Palestinian village of Marah Rabah, located south of Bethlehem, causing damage to the bus but no injuries.
The military set up roadblocks in the area as troops searched for the perpetrators.
Earlier in the day, the IDF said a Palestinian gunman opened fire from the Jenin area toward an army post, and was shot dead by troops.
Forces were scouring the area for another armed suspect who shot at the post, according to the military.
Tensions in the West Bank have soared since October 7, when terrorists burst through the Gaza border into Israel in a Hamas-led attack, killing some 1,200 people and seizing 251 hostages.
Since October 7, troops have arrested some 4,850 wanted Palestinians across the West Bank, including more than 1,960 affiliated with Hamas.
According to the Palestinian Authority health ministry, more than 630 West Bank Palestinians have been killed in that time. The IDF says the vast majority of them were gunmen killed in exchanges of fire, rioters who clashed with troops or terrorists carrying out attacks.
During the same period, 27 people, including Israeli security personnel, have been killed in terror attacks in Israel and the West Bank. Another five members of the security forces were killed in clashes with terror operatives in the West Bank.
