One person was killed and three others wounded in a combined vehicle ramming and stabbing at the Gush Etzion Junction in Judea on Tuesday afternoon, according to emergency medical services.
Magen David Adom medics and paramedics, working alongside an Israel Defense Forces medical team, pronounced a man approximately 30 years old dead at the scene from stab wounds. He was later named as Aharon Cohen, a resident of Kiryat Arba, and his age was updated to 71.
Three additional victims were evacuated to Shaare Zedek and Hadassah Ein Kerem hospitals in Jerusalem. According to an MDA spokesperson, the wounded include a woman approximately 40 years old in serious condition, a man around 30 years old and a 15-year-old boy in moderate condition. All three sustained penetrating wounds.
United Hatzalah emergency medical responders were among the first on scene. EMT Eitan Saar described the chaotic moments after the attack began.
“I was near the scene and heard gunfire,” Saar said. “Unfortunately, the death of a man about 40 years old was confirmed. I also provided medical assistance to a woman around 40 in serious condition, to a man around 30 and to a 15-year-old boy who was moderately and mildly-to-moderately injured.”
The IDF confirmed the attack, saying soldiers eliminated two terrorists at the scene.
Several explosive materials were discovered in the vehicle used by the terrorists, according to the military. Police bomb-disposal specialists worked to neutralize the explosives.
Soldiers were conducting extensive searches and had established roadblocks while encircling the area.
Route 60 at the Gush Etzion Junction was closed to traffic due to the security incident, according to the National Fire & Rescue Authority. Large forces remain deployed at the scene as the investigation continues.
Gush Etzion is a major crossroads in Judea and Samaria, located south of Jerusalem and Bethlehem. It has been the scene of previous terrorist attacks, including an attack in September that wounded two Israeli teens.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu linked the attack to Jerusalem’s war effort to defeat Hamas in Gaza.
“Today, we experienced another Palestinian terrorist attack, and we are determined to complete the war on all fronts, including disarming Hamas and demilitarizing the Gaza Strip to ensure that Gaza will no longer pose a greater danger,” he said.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar condemned the attack, saying it makes the case against the establishment of a Palestinian state.
“Today, Palestinian terrorists struck the heart of Israel. The car ramming and stabbing in Gush Etzion, right outside of Jerusalem, killed a 71-year-old man and injured three civilians,” he said. “The Palestinian Authority refuses to condemn this heinous terror attack, and continues its ‘pay for slay’ policy. This further demonstrates why a Palestinian state cannot and will not be established.”
