Tensions Running High In Judea And Samaria
Clashes, stone throwing attacks, terrorism, demonstrations and raids were the order of the day as tensions in Judea and Samaria ran high over the weekend.
On Sunday morning, a 24-year-old woman, believed to be pregnant, was injured in a stoning attack on Route 60, close to the settlement of Eli in Samaria.
According to Magen David Adom paramedics, the 24-year-old was evacuated to Shaare Zedek Hospital in a light-to-moderate condition with an injury to the face caused by the rock, as well as glass fragments.
This is the latest incident in a spate of terrorist attacks, which have left three Israelis dead, including a three-day-old baby, and 15 other wounded over the last week.
On Friday, an IDF soldier was seriously wounded near Beit El in Samaria after being hit in the head by a rock slab thrown by a terrorist who infiltrated an army post.
On Thursday, two IDF soldiers, Yossi Cohen and Yuval Mor Yosef – aged 19 and 20 – were killed and two others seriously wounded in a terrorist attack also on Route 60, close to Givat Asaf outpost in Samaria. A manhunt for the terrorist is underway for those responsible.
In a separate incident last Sunday, a 21-year-old pregnant woman was critically injured. The baby boy was delivered in emergency surgery 30 weeks old. He died three days later.
Over Friday night, the IDF carried out several raids and operations across Judea and Samaria to find the Hamas terrorist cell believed to be responsible for the spate of terrorist attacks in the area. Clashes between soldiers, border police and Palestinians ensued close to Beit El, in in Beit Furiq, and Qalqilya.
Also on Friday night, during an operation in the Abu Sneineh neighborhood of Hebron, IDF soldiers stopped a vehicle for inspection in which two automatic weapons – an M16 and an Uzi machine gun – were found while the car was searched. The occupants were arrested and taken in for questioning.
Clashes between Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria and Palestinians were also reported over the weekend. Several injuries on both sides were reported.
Around 50 Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria also clashed with IDF soldiers and Border Police on Saturday night on the outskirts of Ramallah and Jenin. The residents were demanding that roads be closed to all Palestinian vehicles.
Overnight on Sunday, the IDF arrested eight suspected terrorists in Judea and Samaria for their involvement in terror activities, grassroots terror and violent disturbances against civilians and soldiers.
Israeli residents also demonstrated outside of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s Jerusalem residence on Sunday morning over the security situation in Judea and Samaria.