Nine people were injured at noon (Friday) when gunfire was fired at a bus at the Gitti-Avisar intersection, located near Ariel in Samaria.
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Rescue forces called to the scene reported gunshot injuries and broken glass and the evacuation of the injured to Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva. The condition of three of the injured was described as serious, and the condition of the other was mild. One of the injured is in danger. The bus that was hit - bus line 286 of the 'Tnufa' company - was on its way from Ariel to Tel Aviv. The terrorist, who was eliminated at the scene, is Sheikh Samer Atal, 46, a father of five, a resident of the Palestinian village of Einabus south of Nablus. According to a security source, the terrorist is associated with Hamas and was in prison for planting an explosive device with the aim of harming IDF forces in 2003. Initial investigation indicates that the terrorist came from the village near Nablus via the Tapuach junction, where there is no checkpoint for Palestinians, passed by the bus, and was stopped about 150 meters from the station at the junction. At this point, he opened fire on the bus that had stopped there. A force of six IDF soldiers standing in the ambush recognized the terrorist as a shooter - and fired at him. In the exchange of fire, he was eliminated. Most of the wounded were hit by the first burst of gunfire. Among the injured were soldiers and civilians - from gunfire and shrapnel.
The terrorist's vehicle passes the bus - then shots are heard
The terrorist carried out the attack with a standard M-16 rifle and was wearing a combat vest. He freely traveled on the road from the Tapuach junction in Samaria to the Gitti Avissar junction in his vehicle, without being stopped for security checks. In the footage from the attack, the terrorist's vehicle is seen passing the bus while it was standing at the stop, exiting it and opening automatic fire at the bus. The terrorist organization Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack. Amir Yosman, a paramedic with Rescue Without Borders, MDA, who arrived at the scene, said: "Upon receiving the report of the shooting at the bus, I quickly arrived at the scene of the incident and noticed several casualties. Together with additional drivers and an IDF medical force, we provided initial medical treatment, including stopping bleeding and applying bandages.".
Documentation from inside the bus
Emergency medical paramedic Itamar Hachmov: "We arrived at the scene with large forces and saw 3 injured people lying near the bus, fully conscious and suffering from gunshot wounds to their bodies. We immediately provided them with initial medical treatment on the spot, which included stopping the bleeding and applying bandages, and evacuated them in MDA intensive care vehicles to the hospital in stable condition. In addition, additional MDA teams treated a number of injured people who suffered from glass splinter wounds and evacuated them to the hospital in mild condition." Hanan Afik and Tidhar Jose, paramedics at United Hatzalah: "We provided initial medical aid to eight of the injured people; 3 in serious condition, one moderately injured and four lightly injured. We also provided aid to a number of panic victims." Ariel Mayor Yair Shtavun told Channel 12: "I am at the scene of the incident, along with the security forces who responded in an amazing and quick manner. We understand that the engagement is in the northern and southern arenas, but the arena in Judea and Samaria is active. The State of Israel should say - after we finish in the north and south - we need to include the eastern front in the work plan.".
Photo: Rescue Without Borders and the Media Talk Group
[Gallery] Head of the Binyamin Regional Council and Chairman of the Yesha Council, Yisrael Gantz, responded, "A serious shooting attack at the Gitti Avishar junction carried out by an armed terrorist equipped with a combat vest is clear evidence of the fingerprint of Iran, which finances and arms terrorism in Judea and Samaria." "We pray for the peace of the wounded and demand determined action to change the reality in Judea and Samaria. We must act against Iranian terrorism in the region with the same determination with which we acted against terrorism in Gaza and Lebanon - by mobilizing the population and dismantling terrorist infrastructures. We call on the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defense to instruct the IDF to lead a large-scale maneuver in Judea and Samaria aimed at dismantling terrorist infrastructures and restoring security to the region." The head of the Samaria Council, Yossi Dagan, responded to the attack and demanded that the security checkpoints in the area be closed. "This serious shooting attack on a central road in Samaria, in the center of the State of Israel, is a serious escalation in the war on terror by the Palestinian Authority, which finances both Fatah terrorists and Hamas terrorists. The ability of the terrorist to arrive in a vehicle on a central road in Samaria and carry out a shooting attack as if he had gone to drink espresso in the center of Tel Aviv is unimaginable. We will never be broken, neither in Samaria, nor in the West Bank." In the Gaza envelope and not on the northern border. I now demand from the Israeli government, from the IDF's senior command to close all security checkpoints in order to reduce the possibility of such attacks, and to deepen activity against the Palestinian Authority that finances, incites and sends this wave of terror. I demand on behalf of the residents of Samaria a decision now. As they did against Hezbollah. A decision against Fatah and Hamas who are trying to create this war here in Samaria, the heart of the land.""
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