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Photo: TPS
Scene of the attack
Photo: TPS

Three soldiers wounded in shooting attack next to Beit El

Terrorist, a member of the Palestinian security services, arrives at checkpoint, exits car, and opens fire with a handgun, wounding two moderately-to-seriously and one lightly; he was shot and killed.

Three IDF soldiers were wounded in a shooting attack on Sunday morning at a checkpoint south of the settlement of Beit El in the Samaria region of the West Bank.

 

 

The terrorist, who arrived at the checkpoint by car from the direction of Ramallah, was shot dead by IDF troops at the checkpoint. He was using a handgun to commit the attack.

 

One of the wounded soldiers, 21 years old, was taken to the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem's Ein Karem in serious condition with a gunshot wound to his neck. His condition was later updated to moderate. 

 

Another soldier, 31, was in serious condition and taken to the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem's Mount Scopus with gunshot wounds to his stomach and extremities. The third soldier, 20, was also taken to Hadassah in light condition after being hit in his extremities.  

 

The checkpoint where the attack occurred (Photo: Gil Yohanan)
The checkpoint where the attack occurred (Photo: Gil Yohanan)

  

A source in the Palestinian security services told Ynet that the terrorist, Amjad a-Sukari, 34, from Jamma'in, was part of the Palestinian security forces and worked as the driver for the Palestinian attorney general Ahmad Hanoun in Ramallah.

 

The source said the Palestinian security services view this as a very unusual incident both because of the shooter's job and because of the fact he was married with four children.

 

However, a-Sukari is not the first member of the Palestinian security services to commit an attack - Mazen Aribah of Abu Dis, an officer in the Palestinian security services, moderately wounded an Israeli civilian and lightly wounded a soldier in a shooting attack near the Hizma checkpoint outside of Jerusalem.

 

A third Palestinian security officer opened fire at an IDF force near Silwad, but did not hit the troops. He was caught and under arrest in Israel.

 

Amjad a-Sukari in a photo taken this morning before the attack.
Amjad a-Sukari in a photo taken this morning before the attack.

 

The last post a-Sukari wrote on Facebook said: "A morning of victory. There is no god but God and Muhammad is the prophet of Allah. There is nothing worth living for on this land. Unfortunately I don't see anything worth living for as long as the occupation makes our souls disappear and kills our brothers and sisters. Have mercy on our martyrs, heal our wounds and release our prisoners. You came first and we, Allah willing, are following in your footsteps."

 

A source who knew the a-Sukari told Ynet that reason for the attack was the terrorist's serious financial problems. According to the source, a-Sukari was in serious debt to several different people, and was only making NIS 2,200 at his job.

 

Hamas issued a statement saying the attack "was a natural response to the crimes of execution Israel commits. This attack represents a clear sign there are nationalistic individuals within the security services who oppose the security coordination with Israel."

 

The central checkpoint where the attack occurred connects the area of Beitin, Silwan and Al-Bireh to Ramallah. It is located close to the Judea and Samaria Division headquarters and the Binyamin region's Civil Administration. Senior officials of the Palestinian Authority go through this checkpoint on their way to Ramallah, and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas lives close by.

 

On Sunday afternoon, a vehicle with Palestinian license plates attempted to burst through a checkpoint near the village of Beit Ur al-Tahta in the West Bank, and tried to run over soldiers standing guard. The soldiers shot and neutralized the driver, who was taken to hospital for treatment. No other injuries were reported.

 

 

 


פרסום ראשון: 01.31.16, 11:23
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