An Israel Police officer opened fire at a Palestinian driver who escaped a traffic stop in the Gush Etzion region of Judea on Tuesday afternoon, in what was initially reported as an attempted terrorist car-ramming.
The officer “identified a Palestinian vehicle that had committed a traffic violation and stopped it for inspection,” the Israel Police and Israel Defense Forces confirmed in a joint statement shared with JNS.
“During the inspection, after the officer exited his vehicle, the driver fled the scene. In response, the officer fired toward the vehicle. No injuries were reported,” the statement continued.
“IDF and Israel Police forces are currently operating in the area and conducting searches to locate the suspect and the vehicle,” it added.
According to widespread initial reports in local media, the Palestinian driver had swerved toward the officer in an attempted terrorist attack.
Palestinian terrorists targeted Israeli civilians in Judea and Samaria at least 6,343 times in 2024, according to figures published by Rescuers Without Borders (Hatzalah Judea and Samaria).
The group’s data did not include the hundreds of attacks targeting Israeli security personnel during ongoing counter-terrorism raids in cities and towns controlled by the Palestinian Authority.
Twenty-seven Israelis were killed in Judea and Samaria in 2024, and over 300 others were wounded, the group stated in its annual report.
