Israeli guard wounded in suspected West Bank car-ramming, driver shot dead
Assailant at Te’enim Checkpoint identified as a 16-year-old Palestinian from Nablus; victim seriously injured, with his condition later improving in hospital
An Israeli security guard was seriously wounded in a suspected car-ramming attack at a West Bank checkpoint early Monday morning, security officials said.
Security forces at the checkpoint opened fire and shot the teenage driver, fatally wounding him, the officials said. He was later pronounced dead.
Palestinian media identified him as Muhammad Nidal Younis. According to the Defense Ministry, which runs the checkpoint, he was 16 years old from the Palestinian city of Nablus.
The incident occurred at roughly 1:20 a.m. at the Te’enim Checkpoint near the West Bank city of Tulkarem. According to the Defense Ministry, Younis rammed his car into another vehicle that was going through the crossing, hitting the security guard in the process.
Magen David Adom medics said the guard, 34, was in a serious but stable condition with head and chest injuries and was conscious.
He was evacuated to Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv and a few hours later his condition improved to moderate.
Defense Ministry director-general Amir Eshel, who visited the scene of the attack, said in a statement that the guards at the checkpoint acted quickly and decisively.
“This is a serious attack and we all wish the wounded security guard a speedy recovery. The security guards acted quickly, just as we train them — striving for contact, hitting the terrorist and ending the incident within seconds,” Eshel said in a statement. “We are investigating the circumstances of the incident and will consider further steps to improve security for security guards.”
The incident comes just over a day after a Palestinian man stabbed a Jewish civilian in a suspected terror attack near the Old City of Jerusalem, with two Border Police officers shooting dead the assailant.
The officers were questioned after a video of the incident showed them firing several shots at the attacker once he was already lying on the ground. Police video of the entire incident that was later released showed that the officers did not immediately fire at the assailant, but did so only after he moved, apparently trying to get up.
The two, who have received significant backing from the prime minister, police chief and other top officials, say they feared he was still dangerous when they shot him seconds after the attack.
