Eight IDF soldiers were wounded, two moderately, and six lightly, when a terrorist conducted a ramming attack at the Beit Lid Junction near Kfar Yona on Thursday morning. The soldiers had been waiting at a bus stop.
While one of the terrorists was arrested, a second suspect, Arkan Khaled, 27, from Taibe, is still being searched for, according to the police.
Magen David Adom teams administered aid at the scene of the attack.
“I saw the bus stop shattered, glass broken, and eight injured people nearby,” MDA motorcycle paramedic Idan Shina said. “Three of them had been thrown about 15 meters back into the dirt behind the bus stop. All were fully conscious and told us that while they were standing at the bus stop, a vehicle suddenly sped toward them, hit them, and fled the scene.”
“We performed an initial triage; other bystanders began assisting the injured, guided over the phone by MDA’s 101 dispatch center. A young man and woman, about 20 years old, were assessed at the scene in moderate condition with injuries typical of vehicular trauma.”
The injured were evacuated to the Laniado Hospital in Netanya, Meir Medical Center in Kfar Saba, and Hillel Yaffe Medical Center in Hadera.
The soldiers' families have all been notified.
In addition to the two young adults being treated for chest and limb injuries in moderate condition, three are in mild-to-moderate condition, and three are in mild condition.
“For months, we have been begging the Israel National Roads Company to put up posts on this road. We were told that ‘It wasn’t safe.’ This was expected,” Albert Taib, mayor of Kfar Yona, told Israeli public broadcaster KAN News.
Israel Police searches for the attacker
Police Commissioner Danny Levi was conducting a situational assessment at the scene of the attack and at the vehicle’s location, which was found near Beit Lid.
Police said that searches for the suspect are ongoing in open areas and along several routes, with the assistance of a police helicopter, drones, a canine unit, motorcycles, and emergency response teams.
Police bomb disposal experts and criminal identification teams are examining the vehicle to gather further evidence.
Meanwhile, all emergency standby squads from nearby communities have been ordered to stay on high alert.