Firebomb attack (illustration)
Firebomb attack (illustration)Flash 90

A terrorist was killed Saturday evening by a force of IDF paratroopers, after he and a second terrorist were identified throwing firebombs at vehicles on the Gilad road in Samaria, next to Yitzhar.

The second terrorist escaped and was caught a short while later. He was slightly wounded.

The Head of the Samaria Regional Council, Gershon Mesika, said Saturday evening: “I wish to congratulate the soldiers who reacted properly vis-a-vis the terrorist this evening. Unfortunately, we already know what terrible results the rock and firebomb terror can have.”

"Therefore, we must strengthen our soldiers who face the enemy daily and as we saw this evening, do not hesitate to react. It is important that every terrorist know that once he prepares to throw a rock or firebomb at an IDF force or Israeli citizens – he is fair game.”

Eleven-year-old Ayala Shapira, critically wounded in a firebomb attack last month in central Samaria, is improving.

Avner Shapiro and his daughter Ayala were attacked by Arab terrorists who threw a Molotov cocktail at their vehicle on December 25.

The two suffered burns, but managed to escape from their burning vehicle, with Avner carrying his seriously wounded daughter along a narrow and dark road for over a kilometer to their community of El-Matan. The incident occurred on a service road between Ma'ale Shomron and El-Matan. Ma'ale Shomron is located off Road 55, which stretches between Kfar Sava and Shechem.

Earlier this month, Sheba Hospital announced a slight improvement in Ayala Shapira's condition. She no longer requires a respirator to breathe, is conscious most of the time and communicates with her parents. The girl is still not speaking and remains in the hospital’s pediatric intensive care unit.

Avner told IDF Radio after the incident that "all of this treating the incident as if it were a criminal event - the idea of treating some young criminals who throw bombs at cars as criminals is a fundamentally flawed concept."

He criticized the security system for trying to solve military problems by legal means, clerical and administrative procedures - not through military operations. "There is a clear war [here] and we must send the army after wanted men in military operations," he added.