Several hikers were wounded and a Palestinian was shot and killed when a group of Israelis celebrating a Bar Mitzvah were violently attacked by a Palestinian mob.
By: Aryeh Savir, World Israel News
Two Israeli hikers were wounded and a Palestinian was shot and killed on Thursday when a group of Israelis came under attack by a violent Palestinian mob near Shechem (Nablus) in Samaria.
An Israeli group of some 20 8th graders was on a hike celebrating a boy’s Bar Mitzvah when they came under a barrage of rocks.
The group attempted to retreat to safety while alerting the IDF about their perilous situation. They felt their lives were in danger, and an armed guard accompanying the group fired in the air and then at the mob, hitting and killing one of them.
Palestinian sources named the attacker who was shot as Mahmoud Uda, 48, of Kusra in Samaria. IDF forces that arrived at the scene attempted to revive him, to no avail.
Two Israelis were treated for wounds and taken to Beilinson hospital in light condition for further treatment. One sustained a wound to the head while the other sustained a hand injury. Both victims are in their 40s.
On site reports say that the Palestinians snatched a handgun held by one of the Israelis, and several cellphones and wallets were stolen from the group.
At one point, the Israeli group sought refuge in a cave, and the Palestinians sprayed it with tear gas.
The IDF has raised its alert in the area following the violent incident and the theft of the handgun, which it fears will now be used for terror.
Police have launched an investigation into the incident.