Two IDF reservist soldiers were moderately and lightly injured in a ramming terror attack at the Tapuah junction in the West Bank on Tuesday evening, according to the IDF Spokesperson's Unit.
The two reservist soldiers were reported as being in light to moderate condition, one with an open-hip fracture.
They were both taken to Rabin Medical Center-Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva for further treatment.
What happened during the West Bank ramming incident?
The reservists, both in their 30s, were crossing the road when the driver accelerated and drove into them.
IDF soldiers responded by shooting at the vehicle, a white truck, as it fled the scene. The driver, a resident of Nablus in the West bank, later turned himself in. He claimed that this wasn't a ramming attack, but was a car accident due to the winter fog causing poor visibility on the roads. The reason he fled is that he feared getting hurt, which would make it a hit-and-run.
However, this comes amid an ongoing wave of recent terrorist attacks, including the shooting of an off-duty IDF soldier in the City of David on Saturday. As such, the IDF is still treating the incident as a terror attack until evidence suggests otherwise.
בהמשך לדיווח הראשוני, חשוד האיץ לעבר שני לוחמים ששהו במרחב צומת תפוח ודרס אותם, לוחם אחד נפצע באורח בינוני, לוחם נוסף נפצע באורח קל, הפצועים פונו לקבלת טיפול רפואי בבית החולים, משפחותיהם עודכנו.החשוד בדריסה נמצא כעת אצל כוחות הביטחון והועבר להמשך חקירה
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) January 31, 2023
The driver was transferred over to the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) for further interrogation.
The ongoing wave of terror in the West Bank
This incident comes following a series of violent terrorist attacks in east Jerusalem over the weekend, and other incidents in the West Bank.
As a result, the IDF is sending reinforcements along the seam line to look out for any infiltrations of Palestinians from the West Bank, as well as shoring up the existing troop presence in the area.
This is a developing story.
Shlomi Heller/Walla and Amir Bohbot/Walla contributed to this report.