Hamas and Islamic Jihad praise West Bank terror attack as 'heroic act'

Both the groups call on their members in the West Bank to escalate the violence against Israelis.

By YASSER OKBI/ MAARIV HASHAVUA
Updated: AUGUST 6, 2015 19:08
Palestinian students supporting Hamas demonstrate in the West Bank city of Hebron (photo credit: REUTERS)
Palestinian students supporting Hamas demonstrate in the West Bank city of Hebron
(photo credit: REUTERS)
Hamas and Islamic Jihad praised the attack Thursday in which a Palestinian driver struck and injured three soldiers near Shiloh in the West Bank, calling it an "act of heroism."
Hamas spokesperson Abad Arahim Shadid said that  "We praise this heroic terror attack made against the Zionist." He added that the terror group considered the attack "an appropriate response to the arrogance of the enemy and its crimes against prisoners, al-Aksa mosque and babies."
They called for more attacks of this kind. "We call upon the members of our people in the West Bank to carry out more terror attacks so that the 'occupiers' will learn a lesson."
A senior Islamic Jihad official also praised the attack, saying that "this heroic terror attack needs to teach the occupier the price of their terrorism and aggression against babies and against the Palestinian people and its holy places."
The group also encouraged its members "to escalate the situation" in the West Bank.
In the attack, two of the soldiers were seriously wounded in the attack, and another suffered light injuries. Both of the seriously injured men sustained head and chest injuries, and both are sedated and on ventilators. One was airlifted to Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center in Jerusalem's Ein Kerem neighborhood and the second was evacuated by a Magen David Adom intensive care ambulance to Hadassah.
A third lightly injured soldier received medical treatment on the scene. The lightly injured soldier was then evacuated by ambulance to the Beilinson Medical Center in Petah Tikva with wounds to his limbs.