The Israeli man who was injured in the shooting attack in northern Samaria Tuesday afternoon recounted the details of the attack and said that he was talking on the phone when he was shot.
"I was waiting at the intersection to talk on the phone, and then a car passed by and they shot me," he said.
His condition was defined as moderate, and he was taken to Hillel Yaffe Hospital in Hadera. During the attack, he was able to reach for his personal weapon and return fire at the terrorists.
"I took out my gun and shot in the direction of the fleeing vehicle. They continued driving and shot at other vehicles," the victim was quoted as saying by Ynet.
The IDF Spokesperson stated that the condition of two of the three soldiers who were shot as the terrorists fled the scene has improved.
"Four IDF soldiers were injured earlier today during an exchange of fire, after they chased the terrorist vehicle from which the shooting near the Reihan Crossing in the Menasha Brigade area was carried out. Three were lightly injured and one moderately. The injured were evacuated to receive medical treatment at the hospital and their families were informed."
The spokesperson also stated that "IDF forces are blocking roads in the area and are continuing the pursuit of the terrorists. A preliminary investigation revealed that the terrorists initially shot at the vehicle of the Israeli citizen ... Later, the terrorists advanced in their journey and shot at a military vehicle in which there were soldiers from the paratrooper brigade. Despite the injuries they sustained, the soldiers returned fire while driving towards the terrorists' vehicle, and even set fire to it before it managed to escape."
Following the attack, IDF forces launched a manhunt for the terrorist squad which carried out the shooting. The forces set up roadblocks around Yavd and are unloading cameras. The attack happened not far from the site in Hermesh where Meir Tamari was murdered in another terrorist attack two weeks ago.
Samaria Regional Council chairman Yossi Dagan issued an unprecedented barrage of criticism against the government following the attack.
"This difficult event, in which there are multiple victims, took place near a junction next to the junction where Meir Tamari, may G-d avenge his blood, was murdered about two weeks ago. We begged for years, and certainly, following that terror attack, we begged, screamed, to stop abandoning us, to close the Hermesh checkpoint, to close the Mevo Dotan checkpoint." Dagan said.
"Whoever made the unfortunate decision to reopen the checkpoint at the entrance to Hermesh put our residents' lives at risk. They are z-class citizens in their own country. This neglect will not stop with us, because the wave of terror is coming from the whole area of northern Samaria. We all pray for the healing of the wounded. The event is still in progress, but we will not let it continue. We demand answers from the government now, stop giving us the runaround, stop neglecting us," the Samaria Council leader demanded.