Israeli moderately hurt in West Bank shooting targeting Memorial Day running event
28-year-old Mordechai Gideon taken to Hadassah Medical Center, where he recalls seeing ‘a lot of blood’; military sets up roadblocks, scans area of Silwad for suspects
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
One person was moderately wounded in a shooting attack in the northern West Bank on Tuesday, as Israel was marking Memorial Day for fallen soldiers and terror victims, military and medics said.
According to the Israel Defense Forces, the apparent drive-by shooting attack occurred near the so-called British Police junction on the Route 60 highway, close to the West Bank town of Silwad.
The man was part of a group of joggers staging a Memorial Day run commemorating fallen soldiers.
The Magen David Adom ambulance service said the 28-year-old Israeli man was injured in his hand by the gunfire and was taken to Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem.
The wounded man was later named as Mordechai Gideon by Hebrew media.
The military said troops were scanning the area for suspects and had set up roadblocks to aid in the search.
Speaking from his hospital bed, Gideon told the Kan public broadcaster that he recalled hearing a “boom” as he approached the junction, then felt the pain in his hand.
“I saw a lot of blood. I and a friend with whom I was running quickly got into the car that was accompanying us, then an ambulance took me to the hospital,” he said, adding that he had not gotten a look at the gunman.
Yisrael Gantz, head of the Binyamin Regional Council, said in a statement that “no terror will stop us,” vowing that West Bank settlement construction would press on.
Israel came to a standstill for two minutes on Tuesday to commemorate the country’s fallen soldiers and terror victims, amid fears the current political turmoil over the government’s judicial overhaul could overshadow ceremonies scheduled to take place throughout the day.
During the events, the nation stops to commemorate the 24,213 killed in service to the state and the pre-state Jewish community and the 4,255 victims of terror.
Tuesday’s attack comes a day after five people were wounded in a car-ramming terror attack near Jerusalem’s Mahane Yehuda market.
Shaare Zedek Medical Center on Tuesday morning published an update on the condition of two victims that required surgery.
A man in his 80s was in a serious condition and remained unconscious and on a respirator, after undergoing surgery for multi-systemic injuries.
Another woman in her 30s was listed in moderate condition.
The Palestinian driver was identified as 39-year-old Hatem Najma, a father of five from the Beit Safafa neighborhood, which straddles the Green Line that marked Israel’s pre-1967 boundaries. He had no known prior security offenses but was known to have mental health issues.
Tensions between Israel and the Palestinians have been high for over a year, with the Israeli military conducting near-nightly raids in the West Bank amid a series of deadly Palestinian terror attacks.
Palestinian attacks in Israel and the West Bank have left 19 people dead since the beginning of the year and several more seriously hurt.
