IDF soldier killed, five people injured in ramming attack on Route 443 near Maccabim crossing outside Modi’in.
By David Rosenberg, World Israel News
An Israeli soldier was killed and five others were injured in a terrorist car ramming attack outside the central Israeli city of Modi’in Thursday morning.
The attack occurred at approximately 9:00 a.m. Thursday on Route 443, one of the two major highways linking Jerusalem and the coastal plain.
During the attack the terrorist drove his truck into a group of Israelis adjacent to the Maccabim checkpoint on Route 443, near the entrance to Modi’in.
Emergency first responders from Magen David Adom and United Hatzalah were dispatched to the scene to treat the six injured, one of whom was listed in critical condition before succumbing to his injuries after being evacuated to the hospital.
A second victim is listed in serious condition, a third is listed in light-to-moderate condition, with the remaining victims were lightly injured.
All six of the victims were evacuated to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem for treatment.
The Israeli military said Thursday morning that three of the five victims injured in the attack, along with the soldier who was killed, were IDF soldiers.
The terrorist fled the scene, but was located and shot dead by security guards at the Hashmonaim checkpoint near Modi’in Illit, just north of the scene of Thursday’s attack.
Authorities identified the terrorist as a 41-year-old Arab resident of the Palestinian Authority who had been granted a work permit to enter Israel.
The ramming attack comes on the heels of a string of terrorist attacks in Judea and Samaria during the preceding 24 hours.
Just hours prior to Thursday morning’s ramming attack, four IDF soldiers were injured in a bombing attack during an operation to secure entry for civilians to Joseph’s Tomb in Shechem (Nablus).
On Wednesday, a teenage terrorist from eastern Jerusalem stabbed an Israeli man in the back near the Shivtei Yisrael light rail station in the capital.
Earlier on Wednesday, an IDF soldier was injured in a ramming attack outside of a military post next to Beit Hagai, in the Hebron district.