BREAKING: Masked Gunman Opens Fire on Shepherds in Binyamin, IDF Hunts Suspect
A young shepherd was wounded in a shooting attack near Malachi Hashalom outpost. IDF forces launched a manhunt for the masked gunman who opened fire from a nearby grove.
A young shepherd was lightly wounded this Thursday morning in a suspected terror attack near the Malachi Hashalom outpost in the Binyamin region, northeast of Ramallah.
According to initial reports, two shepherds were grazing livestock when a masked gunman emerged from a nearby grove and opened fire. At least two shots were fired, striking a 20-year-old in the head.
Magen David Adom paramedics treated the victim on-site before evacuating him to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem. His condition is defined as mild.
“The outcome could have been far worse,” said a senior medic.
The IDF launched a manhunt for the shooter and is investigating the circumstances of the attack. Security forces are combing the area in search of the suspect.
The incident comes against a backdrop of ongoing violence in Judea and Samaria. Just last week, Border Police arrested a Gazan in his 20s at the Qalandiya checkpoint on suspicion of planning an attack. In July, the army thwarted two attempted stabbings in the southern Hebron Hills area.
This is a developing story
09:50 AM UPDATE:
The Rescuers Without Borders emergency service reported Thursday that the Israeli man wounded in a suspected terror attack near the Gal Yosef outpost in the Binyamin region was not struck by bullets, but injured during a physical altercation with the assailant.
According to the group, a gunman from the nearby Palestinian village of Al-Mughayyir opened fire several times at an Israeli shepherd. After missing his target, the attacker engaged the shepherd in a struggle, during which the Israeli sustained a light head injury.