Four IDF soldiers were wounded in a car-ramming attack at the Nitzanei Oz junction near the Tzrifin military base in central Israel earlier Sunday, the IDF confirmed.
An officer and a soldier were severely wounded, another soldier sustained moderate injuries, and a cadet in the officer training course was lightly hurt. They were transported to the Shamir Medical Center for medical treatment, and their families have been notified.
Shamir Medical Center Director Dr. Osnat Levzion-Korach said that the hospital is fighting to save the life of one of the severely wounded soldiers. A relative of another severely injured soldier said, "We are praying for his recovery. He is a golden boy, 21 years old."
Three Border Police reservists, who were on a routine patrol nearby, eliminated the assailant, a Palestinian resident of East Jerusalem. "We were driving and just before Nitzanei Oz junction, I heard a boom," one of the cops recounted.
"I looked to the left and saw a car at the bus stop with a soldier lying underneath it. At that moment, I turned around and drove there quickly. We got out of the vehicle, went to the back and cocked our weapons. Another officer joined us at that point.
"I heard a shot, and I responded with fire as well. There were a few more shots, then I told everyone to stop. I wanted to make sure the attacker was neutralized so we could attend to the soldier. We lowered our weapons, then I broke the window and saw that the attacker was dead."
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Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai arrives at the scene of the attack
(Photo: Meir Turgeman)
Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai arrived at the scene. "Since yesterday, alerts have been piling up, and we have increased our readiness," he said, referring to the assassination attempt on Hamas military leader Mohammed Deif, after which the terrorist organization called on Palestinians to "escalate the resistance."
Shabtai, who arrived at the scene hours before his farewell ceremony from the police force, said that as part of the police preparations, "We deployed additional forces, and the activities you saw on the roads are part of our efforts to provide a quick response."
When asked about the attacker's identity, he said that the police currently believe it was a lone attacker and that "the attacker has no known security background."