IDF forces hunt for driver who ran over soldiers in West Bank
Three injured in 2nd suspected terror attack Wednesday; Palestinians launch social media campaign calling for more vehicular attacks
A full-scale manhunt was underway for the Palestinian driver of a vehicle who rammed into three IDF soldiers on a West Bank road Wednesday evening in what appeared to be that day’s second vehicular terror attack.
Two of the soldiers were moderately hurt and one sustained light injuries, Israel Radio reported. They were evacuated to hospitals in Jerusalem for treatment, and a hospital official said there was no immediate threat to their lives.
A Palestinian vehicle hit the soldiers, who were standing by the side of Route 60 near the Palestinian refugee camp of al-Aroub, south of Jerusalem, a police spokesperson said.
Israel Police and the IDF had set up roadblocks in the area.
“The IDF is conducting a widespread search in the region to locate the vehicle and its driver,” the army said in a statement.
The vehicle was identified as a large white commercial truck, and a van matching the description was later found by IDF troops.
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In a graphic video posted online which appeared to show the incident, the three soldiers are clearly visible on the side of the road as traffic passed. The white van approached from the left-hand side and, without slowing, plowed into the soldiers and drove off.
Shortly after the attack, Hamas lauded the attack on the soldiers.
The attack came hours after an East Jerusalem man drove his van into a group of pedestrians in the capital, killing a Border Police officer and injuring 11 other people, one of them critically.
The fatality, Jedan Assad, 38, from the Druze village of Beit Jann will be laid to rest Thursday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. local time.
Assad was a father to a three-year-old boy; his wife is five months pregnant.
Israel Radio reported that a new social media campaign making its way online calls for more terror attacks using vehicles as weapons. The campaign is reportedly called “Daas,” the Arabic word for “run over,” which is also a play on words for the Arabic acronym “Daesh” for the terror group the Islamic State.
a new palestinian campaign in social media: use the car as a weapon in order to attack israelis pic.twitter.com/P9YcLa4p39
— Gal Berger גל ברגר (@galberger) November 6, 2014
The perpetrator of the Jerusalem attack, 48-year-old Ibrahim al-Akary from the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Shuafat and a father of five was buried late Wednesday night in the Old City.
Six people remain hospitalized from that attack; one in critical condition, three with serious injuries and two with moderate-to-light injuries.
One of the victims, a man on his 20s, was unknown to officials for hours, as he did not have any form of identification on him. Family members finally contacted authorities, Israel Radio reported, and his identity was established. The information has not been released to the press.
The Times of Israel Community.