Nov. 29 (UPI) — Four people were injured by gunfire, three of them seriously, in Israel Friday after a Hamas gunman started shooting at a bus in the occupied West Bank city of Ariel, according to authorities.
Paramedics were treating four others for minor injuries related to shrapnel from broken glass, Israel’s national ambulance service, Magen David Adom, confirmed on X.
The driver of the bus had the most serious injuries of the eight, four of which were Israeli Defense Forces soldiers. All of the injured people were taken to the hospital.
Update to the terror attack at Gitay junction
MDA EMTs and Paramedics are treating 4 gunshot victims : 3 in serious condition and 1 in moderate condition. 4 others are being evacuated in mild condition with glass shrapnel injuries. All are being evacuated to Beilinson Hospital. pic.twitter.com/J36HZnoz7x— Magen David Adom (@Mdais) November 29, 2024
“We saw three injured individuals lying near the bus, fully conscious and suffering from gunshot wounds. We immediately provided them with initial medical treatment at the scene and evacuated them by MDA ambulances to Bellison hospital in stable condition,” MDA paramedic Itamar Hakhamov wrote on Facebook.
The gunman was killed during the attack.
The military wing of Hamas, the Al-Qassam Brigades, later claimed responsibility and identified the gunman as 46-year-old Samir Muhammad Ahmad Hussein.
Following the shooting, the IDF conducted a raid at Hussein’s home in the village of Einabus, located in the northern part of the Palestinian enclave and seven miles from Nablus.
Members of the Israeli intelligence service, Shin Bet, also questioned several people during the operation.
The Palestinian-controlled West Bank has seen consistent violence since Israel began its war on Hamas in Gaza following the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by the militant group.
Earlier this month, the United States called on Israel to do more to combat violence against Palestinians carried out by Jewish settlers in the territory.