Palestinian suspect in stolen vehicle hits Israeli police officer in West Bank
One officer lightly injured in incident, which police have not classified as terrorism; suspect remains at large
A Palestinian man driving a suspected stolen vehicle lightly wounded an Israeli police officer on Monday morning at the ad-Dhahiriya Junction in the southern West Bank, according to police and military officials.
The incident occurred during a police operation in the area. Officers from the Yasam patrol unit were conducting activity “against criminals and terrorists” in the Palestinian town of ad-Dhahiriya when they identified a vehicle believed to be stolen, according to Israeli police.
Police said the officers signaled for the driver to stop, but he refused and fled the scene. During his escape, the suspect struck one of the officers, lightly injuring him.
Security forces launched a manhunt for the suspect, who fled toward ad-Dhahiriya, near Hebron. The Israel Defense Forces and police encircled the town as part of the ongoing search.
Police have not classified the incident as a terror attack, and the investigation is underway.
A similar incident occurred in March when a Palestinian man from Jenin stole a vehicle from inside Israel and crashed it into a checkpoint next to the Tzrifin military base. One soldier was injured.
According to theft prevention firm Ituran, 2024 saw an 11-percent jump in the number of car thefts inside Israel over the previous year. A large number of the vehicles ended up in Palestinian cities in the West Bank, according to the firm.
Monday’s incident took place as Israel continues to carry out an extended counterterrorism operation dubbed Operation Iron Wall in the northern West Bank that launched on January 21, days after a ceasefire agreement came into effect in the war against Hamas in Gaza.
The operation began in the terror hotbed of Jenin, before expanding to nearby towns including Tulkarem, Far’a and Nur Shams. Last week, the IDF said it expanded the operation to the Nablus area as well.
Operation Iron Wall has apparently been proven to be successful, with Israeli security forces reporting an 80% drop in terror attacks during Ramadan compared to previous years.
The IDF and Shin Bet attributed this downturn to intensified security efforts and counterterrorism operations, particularly in the northern West Bank.
The Times of Israel Community.