Israeli car comes under fire near Nablus, driver escapes unharmed
IDF dispatches troops to scene close to Havat Gilad outpost and launch manhunt for suspects; vehicle’s windows shattered, one of bullets hits driver’s headrest
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
An Israeli driver came under gunfire by Palestinians in the northern West Bank on Friday, medics said, adding that he was not injured.
According to the Rescuers Without Border emergency service, the driver was unharmed by the shooting attack near the unauthorized outpost of Havat Gilad, close to Nablus.
In video and pictures shared by the service, damage was seen caused to the Israeli man’s car. The windows were shattered, and bullet holes could be seen on the driver’s headrest.
The IDF confirmed the shooting attack and said in a statement that it had launched a manhunt for suspects in the area of the shooting.
An initial investigation found that four shots had been fired at the vehicle, with two striking the target.
“I was driving on the road and suddenly a car came in front of me and did a U-turn. The driver motioned to me with his hand to say ‘What happened?’ Then I heard shots,” said the driver of the car that was attacked. “I continued driving and called the police. The other car fled the scene.”
In recent months, Palestinian gunmen have repeatedly targeted military posts, troops operating along the West Bank security barrier, Israeli settlements and civilians on the roads.
The attacks came amid an Israeli anti-terror offensive mostly focused on the northern West Bank to deal with a series of Palestinian attacks that have left 31 people in Israel and the West Bank dead since the start of the year.
The operation has netted more than 2,500 arrests in near-nightly raids, but has also left over 165 Palestinians dead, many of them — but not all — while carrying out attacks or during clashes with security forces.
פיגוע ירי סמוך לחוות גלעד בשומרון: מחבלים פתחו באש ופגעו ברכב ישראלי. כמה כדורים חדרו לתוך המכונית כשאחד הקליעים פגע בחלק האחורי של משענת הנהג.
לא היו נפגעים והמחבלים נמלטו pic.twitter.com/AvR9LrKcVz— yishai porat – ישי פורת (@yishaiporat) December 16, 2022
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