One Dead, Five Injured In Hamas Terror Attack At Jerusalem Checkpoint As Police Say Larger Attack Likely Prevented

[Valin]

The Daily Wire

Yehuda Levi
Nov 16, 2023

Three Hamas terrorists reportedly from Hebron opened fire at a checkpoint south of Jerusalem on Thursday, killing an IDF soldier and wounding another five police officers and soldiers. 

Initial police investigations revealed that the terrorists were on their way to commit a much larger-scale attack in Jerusalem when their car was flagged as suspicious at the checkpoint by security personnel, who stopped the vehicle for inspection. At that point, the terrorists opened fire. The terrorists were neutralized by Israeli security forces.

 

“I saw a white Skoda with all its doors open, and each terrorist was outside, shooting in different directions,” said Moshe Moalem, a civilian security guard who was injured in the attack. “All of our forces present immediately shot back. I felt a round strike my leg and looked for cover.” Moalem was spared further injury when shrapnel became embedded in his wallet, preventing it from penetrating further into his other leg.

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A bus filled with children on their way to school was at the checkpoint at the time of the attack. The shooting was filmed from the bus as children ducked under the seats, praying and reciting psalms in fear. This highlighted a concern previously voiced by Oded Revivi, mayor of Efrat, about the risks that the necessary checkpoints may inadvertently cause. “We have been warning that the checkpoint can become a death trap because of the bottleneck it causes, which endangers the residents who wait sometimes bumper to bumper along the whole length of the road, which doesn’t provide for any solution during a tragic event,” said Revivi to Channel 7. 

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