At 10:30 Wednesday night an Egged passenger bus, traveling from Jerusalem to Kiryat Arba-Hevron, was shot at near the Halhul bypass road, several kilometers north of Hevron. The bus was hit by at least ten bullets and two people were lightly wounded by fragments. The injured passenger was evacuated by ambulance to Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem and the other, the bus driver, was treated at the Kiryat Arba Medical Center. According to security sources, the bus was ambushed by two groups of terrorists firing from both sides of the road. One eyewitness said that it was a miracle no one was killed, as the bullets whizzed down the aisle of the bus.



In other attacks on motorists, yesterday a female driver was lightly injured in a crash caused by Arab stone-throwers on the Shechem Bypass Road in Samaria. In Shechem itself, IDF vehicles were also targeted in stone-throwings. Also yesterday, motorists traveling on the road between Gush Etzion and Hevron were targeted in stone-throwing attacks near el-Aroub. There were no injuries in the latter incidents.



Mortar shells slammed into a southern Gush Katif community yesterday. There were no injuries, but several buildings sustained damage. Also targeted by terrorists were other Gazan communities, Ganei Tal and Netzarim. Arab gunmen opened fire at IDF positions protecting the respective towns. There were no injuries reported in either incident. In Tul Karem, a firebomb was thrown at IDF troops on duty in the city, just east of Netanya.



Counterterrorism measures continued apace last night, as IDF troops completed an operation in PA-controlled Jenin and subsequently withdrew. Five terrorists were arrested and the home of a Hamas terrorist tied to several attacks was demolished. Arrests were also made in the Hevron district, with IDF soldiers picking up seven wanted PA residents who had been engaged in terrorist activities. An armed terrorist was shot and killed by IDF soldiers near the Sufa Checkpoint in Gaza, preventing an infiltration.