Civilian driver among wounded; two Palestinian suspects arrested, firearms found after incident, which comes amid rising violence in the West Bank. Shots were fired at a bus carrying Israeli soldiers on a major highway in the Jordan Valley on Sunday, injuring seven people, the military and medics said.
The Israel Defense Forces said Palestinian gunmen opened fire at the bus near the settlement of Hamra, seriously wounding one soldier. Another five soldiers and the bus’s civilian driver were hurt. The attack came amid rising violence in the West Bank.
The seriously wounded soldier and the bus driver, listed in moderate condition, were taken by helicopter to Rambam Hospital in Haifa, with gunshot injuries. The hospital later said the soldier’s condition had improved.
The other five soldiers were lightly hurt by glass fragments.
“From an initial review of the incident, the attack was committed by a cell driving a pickup truck, which overtook the bus and opened fire, and attempted to set it on fire,” said Col. Meir Biderman, the commander of the 417th territorial brigade.
Two suspected gunmen were arrested shortly after by Israeli soldiers and police officers, the IDF and Israel Police said. Several firearms were found at the scene. The pair were taken to be questioned by the Shin Bet security agency. The gunmen’s getaway vehicle caught fire during their escape, possibly from flammable liquid they attempted to pour on the bus amid the attack. Both were seen hurt in images circulated online.
The pair were named by Palestinian media as Muhammed and Walid Turkman, apparent relatives, residents of the Jenin area in the northern West Bank. A third suspect apparently fled, according to Hebrew-language media reports. Biderman, said IDF forces were continuing to hunt for additional members of the cell.”We won’t rest until we catch all of them,” he said.
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