Yehoshua Aharon Tuvia Simcha, 12 years old from Jerusalem, was was murdered on Wednesday evening, shortly before midnight, when a terrorist fired at a bus near the Al-Khader Junction in Gush Etzion.
Yehoshua Aharon Tuvia is the son of Rabbi Zusha Simcha, the head of the Hasidic yeshiva in Betar.
He was evacuated to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead after prolonged resuscitation efforts.
Four other people suffered injuries in the attack and were evacuated to hospitals for treatment.
The terrorist fled the scene and IDF troops are pursuing him. The troops surrounded the city of Bethlehem and the village of Husan.
The bus, which was making its way from the Gush Etzion area to Jerusalem, continued its journey to the Tunnels Checkpoint, where the injured were treated by rescue forces.
The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said, “Following the initial report, a terrorist opened fire at an Israeli civilian bus in the area of the Al-Khader Junction. As a result of the attack, a number of civilians were injured and are currently receiving medical treatment.”
“Israeli security forces are pursuing the terrorist, setting up roadblocks and encircling the area of Bethlehem,” added the IDF.
Three people who were injured in the attack were evacuated to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem, including the 12-year-old boy in critical condition, a 24-year-old man in stable condition and conscious, and a 55-year-old man in light condition from a shrapnel wound.
Two injured people were evacuated to Shaare Zedek Hospital: a 40-year-old woman who was moderately injured and a 20-year-old man in moderate-to-serious condition.
Magen David Adom (MDA) said in a statement, "MDA paramedics are providing medical treatment and evacuating two injured individuals to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital: a 12-year-old boy in serious condition with gunshot wounds and a 40-year-old woman in mild condition with gunshot wounds. Two additional individuals in light condition were also evacuated from the scene."
MDA Paramedic Elhai Sofer and Senior EMT Yaakov Greenwald recounted, "We arrived quickly at the scene and saw the bus with passengers. We conducted a quick search and found a 12-year-old boy with gunshot wounds to his upper body. We provided life-saving treatment and evacuated him in MDA's mobile intensive care unit to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital while continuing treatment and fighting for his life. A 40-year-old female suffered gunshot wounds to her limbs. She was fully conscious, in moderate condition, and was evacuated to Shaare Zedek Hospital. Two other injured people, in mild condition from glass shards, were evacuated from the scene. Additional MDA teams are now providing medical care to several people suffering anxiety symptoms."
Yaron Rosenthal, head of the Gush Etzion Regional Council, said at the scene of the attack, "This junction is used by tens of thousands of Jews traveling to Jerusalem, and we will continue to travel and use it. The fight over the roads in Gush Etzion did not begin yesterday and will not end tomorrow. We will remain strong, expand our communities, because that is our true response to these difficult events.”
“The right solution is to kill all the terrorists, deport their families, and if we do this thoroughly, I believe there will be quiet here. We are not trapped in outdated concepts," he emphasized.
The Yesha Council responded to the shooting attack and said, "Tonight's horrific attack is not an unavoidable fate. It is time to take decisive action in Judea and Samaria as well—mobilizing forces, maneuvering within cities, and destroying terror infrastructure. There is no difference between the enemy in Gaza and the enemy in Bethlehem. Terror is terror, and the solution must be the same," stated the Yesha Council.
The terrorist turned himself in to Israeli security forces on Thursday morning.
During the night, the terrorist tried to turn himself in to the Palestinian Authority Police. The PA police took his weapon from him, but refused to allow him into the police station.