A Palestinian terrorist opened fire at an Israeli minibus in the settlement of Dolev located in the Binyamin region of the West Bank, resulting in an hours-long aerial search for the perpetrator, the IDF said on Friday morning.
After many hours of pursuit, the shooter was captured and identified as Majhad Mansour.
Three people from the area were evacuated to Beilinson Hospital. The condition of one of the wounded was severe, while the two others were moderately and lightly wounded, the hospital reported.
הנאצים בעזה וביהודה ושומרון הם אותו הדבר. מי שמטפח תקוות שווא ברשות הפלסטינית יביא עלינו את הטבח של ה-7.10 בערים וביישובים במרכז הארץ. כפי שהתרענו בקבינט הביטחוני אבו מאזן הוא לא הפיתרון, הוא חלק מהבעיה. pic.twitter.com/RdhL4p5zIH
— בצלאל סמוטריץ' (@bezalelsm) March 22, 2024
The events following the attempted terror attack
IDF initially arrived in Dolev early Friday morning after a report of a shooting that caused damage to the targeted vehicle but no casualties.
An exchange of fire was instigated with the terrorist, the IDF said. As part of the pursuit, a fighter jet and UAV were brought to the scene along with helicopters.
אירוע די משוגע מתרחש כבר מעל שעה וחצי באזור דולב בגזרת בנימין.פיגוע ירי שהתפתח למרדף, חילופי אש ממושכים שכוללים מסק״ר ונמשכים גם כעת. לא יודעת הרבה פרטים אבל שנים שלא זכור לי אירוע כזה, בטח לא אחד שמעורב בו מסק״ר. נראה שיש פה תגובה רצינית ובלתי מתפשרת של הצבא. נחכה להתפתחויות. pic.twitter.com/6y7uspAvHi
— Atara Rapaport-Cohen (@AtaraCohen_rap) March 22, 2024
The attack leads to road development for additional security
In response to the attack, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Transportation Minister Miri Regev have decided to promote the immediate construction of a road connecting the block of settlements in Gush Talmonim to Route 443. This road will provide residents of the area with another exit to Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
"This will strengthen the settlement and its security. They will continue to try and weaken us. Our Zionist answer will be to continue strengthing our rightful hold in all parts of the country," Smotrich and Regev said in a joint statement.
"The terrorist attack this morning is another painful reminder of the war being waged against Israel since October 7. We made the joint decision to begin planning and immediately executing a road connecting Gush Talmonim to Route 443," they explained.
Recent terror attacks
This past week, two Shin Bet officers were wounded in a shooting attack near Gush Etzion junction on Tuesday afternoon, the IDF confirmed. One of the victims was in serious but stable condition, while the other was lightly wounded, according to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem.
On Thursday, a Palestinian convert to Judaism was mistakenly shot and killed near Elazar in the Etzion bloc, launching an IDF probe into the soldiers responsible.
Last week, a terrorist opened fire on the Jewish community in the West Bank city of Hebron. Several Palestinians were detained for possible involvement in the attack while the terrorist was neutralized.
Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report. This is a developing story.