A Jewish baby sustained light wounds in a Palestinian rock-throwing attack on the road that bypasses the hostile Samaria village of Huwara, south of Nablus, the Hatzalah Judea and Samaria rescue group said on Monday.
The infant was wounded by glass shrapnel, according to the report, which added that the driver continued to drive and sought medical attention for the child at a nearby Israel Defense Forces base.
The IDF confirmed the rock-throwing attack, which it said took place in the area of the Arab village of Odala. “Upon receiving the report, IDF forces rushed to the scene and began a pursuit of the terrorist,” it said.
In November, the military started work on a security fence surrounding the road around Huwara, which was opened months earlier as an alternative to the route that passed through the terrorist hotspot.
After numerous terrorist attacks against Israelis driving through Huwara, which is located 4.5 miles south of Nablus, Israeli Transport, National Infrastructure and Road Safety Minister Miri Regev inaugurated the main section of the bypass road on Nov. 12, 2023.
“The inauguration of the first and important section of the Huwara Bypass Road is an exciting closing of the circle for me. This life-saving road will provide the pioneers [in Samaria] with greater safety and security,” said Regev at the ceremony.
“The new section will allow residents to travel on the road safely, not through the hostile village where many attacks against Israelis have taken place, including in the recent period,” added the minister.
The road seeks to offer Jews traveling to and from central Samaria towns, including Yitzhar, Elon Moreh, Itamar and Har Bracha, a safer route.
Four Israelis were killed in Huwara in 2023—brothers Hallel and Yagel Yaniv in February and father and son Shay Silas and Aviad Nir Nigrekar in August.
Dual Israeli-U.S. citizen David Stern, 41, narrowly survived a shooting on March 19, 2023, while he was driving through Huwara with his wife on their way to Jerusalem. Six days later, two Israeli soldiers were wounded in a drive-by shooting in the village.
Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan had been the main driving force behind the initiative to construct a bypass road and, together with families of terrorism victims, pushed the project for about six years.
In 2017, the Israeli government approved an 800 million shekel (around $220 million) plan to construct bypass roads throughout Judea and Samaria, including the Huwara bypass road between the Tapuach and Yitzhar junctions.
