Injured Israeli recounts shooting attack: Miracle we're alive

Moshe Moreno says rifle of terrorist who opened fire at his vehicle near Ramallah apparently malfunctioned. 'I unlocked the car, grabbed my wife and we rolled into ditch,' he tells Ynet

Ari Galahar|Published: 09.02.10 , 09:45

"One of (the terrorists) stepped out of the car and opened fire at me from a meter away. I unlocked the door and pulled my wife out, and we rolled into the ditch," recounted Moshe Moreno, who was attacked by Palestinian terrorists Wednesday night near the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Morano is listed in moderate condition. His wife Shira sustained light injuries in the attack. The couple resides in the Jordan Rift Valley town of Ma'ale Efraim. Hamas claimed responsibility for the shooting.

"We were followed by another vehicle for about four or five minutes. The car's headlights blinded us," Morano told Ynet late Wednesday night after being admitted to Jerusalem's Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital. "I signaled the driver to stop, but he continued, so I stopped, but he passed me."

According to Morano, the terrorists opened fire from inside the vehicle, and one of them approached his car while firing his automatic weapon. "At some point, I guess his weapon got stuck. That's our miracle. I have shrapnel in my leg; the whole incident lasted a minute and-a-half," he said.

Hamas' armed wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was "a message to those in the (Palestinian) Authority who promised the Zionists that the attack in Hebron would not recur." Hamas was referring to Tuesday's shooting attack in which four Israelis were killed.

In the aftermath of Wednesday's terror attack, the PA resumed the wave of arrests of Hamas men throughout the West Bank.

An IDF official told Ynet that Hamas and other terror groups are looking to ignite the region in an effort to impede the direct peace talks, which are scheduled to officially kick off later in the day.

In Washington, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned both of the attacks, telling Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, "We do not want any blood to be shed."