Three people were seriously injured, one seriously, in a shooting attack today (Friday) at Gitai Junction in Samaria.
The assailant, arriving in the area by car, fired at an unarmored bus coming from Tel Aviv and was neutralized. Six additional people were injured in the incident. Hamas claimed responsibility.
Shmuel, a young man around 20 from Kiryat Netafim in Samaria, who was inside the bus during the attack, describes the terrifying moments.
"I waited for the bus at Gitai Junction for about a quarter of an hour. I boarded the bus and was lucky to sit in the middle. I heard a gunshot, immediately turned towards the shots, saw the assailant standing, and quickly ducked down. The driver was hit severely, probably along with two others. Many panicked, there were screams. We had a soldier on the bus who started shooting at the assailant, and also two soldiers at the checkpoint probably shot too. I think the event was handled properly. Some were injured by scratches, I also got scratched by glass on my hand and face. I had a real stroke of luck, if it happened a few minutes earlier, it would have ended differently."
He adds: "I will continue to hitchike at Gitai Junction because I don't have many options. It's not like there are buses to Tel Aviv and the center. In general, it's a bit strange that in such an area the buses are not bulletproof."
"One must remember that Judea and Samaria are war zones like all others. Security here should be like anywhere else in the country. We expect the government to ensure they defeat Fatah as they did to Hezbollah in Lebanon. Security is a basic right of every person. It can't be that children and women won’t feel safe waiting on a Friday afternoon at a central bus stop in the country. Everything must be done to eliminate Fatah as they did with Hezbollah."
Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria Regional Council, called to defeat Fatah and Hamas to stop turning Judea and Samaria into another battleground at the heart of the country, "This severe shooting attack on a main road in Samaria, in the center of Israel, marks a serious escalation in the terror war led by the Palestinian Authority, which funds both Fatah and Hamas militants. The fact that a terrorist could drive a car to a central road in Samaria and carry out a shooting as if going for an espresso in downtown Tel Aviv is inconceivable."
"We will never be broken! Not in Samaria, not in the Gaza region, and not at the northern borders. I now demand from the Israeli government and the senior IDF command to close all security checkpoints to minimize the possibility of such attacks and to deepen action against the Palestinian Authority, which funds, incites, and launches this wave of terror. I demand, on behalf of the residents of Samaria, a decisive operation now! Just as was done against Hezbollah, we demand decisive operations against Fatah and Hamas attempting to create this war here in Samaria, the heart of the country."