By Akiva Van Koningsveld, JNS
An Israeli was wounded in a terrorist shooting attack outside the central Samaria city of Ariel on Wednesday night, according to medical officials.
The injured victim, identified as an 18-year-old male, sustained moderate wounds and was evacuated to Rabin Medical Center’s Beilinson Hospital in the central Israeli city of Petach Tikvah.
The Hatzalah Judea and Samaria rescue group said the reported terrorist shooting took place near the Avi Nof farm just outside Ariel’s western industrial park, located close to the Palestinian village of Salfit.
“A report was received of a shooting incident near Ariel in the Ephraim Brigade [deployment area],” the Israel Defense Forces said. “The civilian was moderately injured and is currently receiving medical treatment.”
Israeli security forces launched a large-scale manhunt for the terrorist, who fled the scene of the attack, and set up roadblocks, the IDF stated.
Palestinian terrorists targeted Jews in Judea and Samaria at least 6,343 times in 2024, including 179 incidents involving gunfire, according to figures made public by Hatzalah Judea and Samaria on Feb. 17.
Twenty-seven Israelis were murdered in Judea and Samaria in 2024, and more than 300 others were wounded, the group said in its annual report.
