An Israeli was lightly wounded during a car-ramming attack outside the city of Ariel in central Samaria on Sunday evening.
The driver and a passenger tried to slam into an IDF post at the entrance to the city. Security personnel opened fire on the two terrorists in the vehicle.
Emergency medics treated a man, a passer-by aged about 40, who was hit by shrapnel, according to the United Hatzalah rescue service.
The victim was evacuated to Beilinson Hospital in Petach Tikvah in stable condition with superficial wounds to the abdomen.
At least one of the Palestinian terrorists was reportedly killed by the gunfire.
“We provided initial medical treatment at the scene to a man of about 40 who sustained light injuries from shrapnel when security forces fired at the two assailants in the vehicle,” said Adiel Agassi, head of United Hatzalah’s Ariel branch.
“Additionally, we treated a man and a woman for mild shock resulting from the incident and the sound of gunfire,” he added.
The capital of Samaria, Ariel is located 25 miles east of Tel Aviv.
Later Sunday, Palestinian terrorists detonated a roadside bomb at an Israeli bus south of Bethlehem, the Israeli military said.
There were no injuries reported in the unusual late-night attack, but the bus was damaged in the blast, according to an Israel Defense Forces spokesperson.
The explosion occurred shortly before midnight as the bus, operated by Afikim, went by the Palestinian village of Marah Rabah, located 7 miles south of Bethlehem.
The bomb had been placed on the road in advance, according to the military, which launched a search for the perpetrators.
Last week, an Israeli bus driver sustained light wounds when suspected Palestinian terrorists threw rocks at cars traveling on a main highway in Samaria, near Jerusalem.
Also last Monday, Israeli security personnel neutralized an improvised roadside bomb near the town of Havat Gilad in northern Samaria. There were no casualties in the attempted terrorist attack.
On Wednesday, Israel Defense Forces Col. Ariel Gonen assumed command of the military’s Samaria Regional Brigade during a handover ceremony on Mount Gerizim, near Nablus (Shechem).
“When I was informed that I would take over command of the Samaria sector, I was very excited,” Gonen said. “Firstly, because of the enormous privilege and responsibility given to me for the most important heritage and historic areas, in which our people have lived and existed for about 3,000 years, as well as the responsibility for the residents.
“We are in one of the most challenging and complex periods of the State of Israel,” he continued. “We must continue to act with strength, in defense and attack, to stand together with our partners in every task. The path is not always easy, but the goal is clear: security and victory.”
