Pregnant woman, toddler, shot at close range by Palestinian terrorist in Huwara

An Israeli man, his pregnant wife and an 18-month-old were shot at while driving in their car, but were not injured.

By Meir Dolev, World Israel News

A Palestinian terrorist shot at an Israeli couple and their toddler while they drove on Route 60 near the terror hotbed of Huwara northern Samaria, the Israel Defense Forces reported on Thursday evening.

Miraculously, none of the three – including the pregnant woman – were injured. The car sustained several bullet holes and the back windown shattered from the gunfire.

A video captured by a passerby depicted the terrorist firing multiple rounds at the car before escaping on foot. After a chase and a subsequent exchange of fire, IDF forces confirmed that the terrorist was neutralized.

Huwara, near Nablus in Samaria, has been a hotbed of Palestinian terror for decades.

In August, an Israeli father and son were shot and killed at close range while doing errands in the town.

A month earlier, an Israeli bus was hit by at least eight bullets in another terror shooting while driving through the town.

July also saw an Israeli driver lightly injured by glass shards when his vehicle was hit by at least a dozen bullets in a shooting attack near the Palestinian-controlled town. A day earlier, two Israeli soldiers were wounded when a terrorist rammed them with his vehicle in Huwara.

A month earlier, an Israeli soldier was lightly wounded in a Palestinian stabbing attack in Huwara. A day later, a pregnant woman miraculously escaped her car after it flipped over during a terror attack.

A month-long period prior to that saw another three terror attacks there.

At the end of February, two Israeli brothers, Hallel and Yagel Yaniv, were murdered in a drive-by shooting, prompting a riot by Jewish Israelis later that evening.  A poll later found that almost three-quarters of Palestinians supported their murder.

Two weeks later, former U.S. Marine David Stern was shot while driving through the town with his young children family. After being shot at at point blank range, Stern, a martial arts instructor, managed to shoot and neutralize the terrorist.

A week and a half after that, two IDF soldiers were wounded in a shooting attack in the Palestinian town.

The main highway in Judea and Samaria, Route 60, runs through the town but a new bypass road is slated to open later this month.