A 27-year-old man was pronounced dead by doctors at Hadassah Mount Scopus Medical Center in Jerusalem on Monday evening hours after he was critically wounded in a drive-by shooting attack by Palestinian Authority terrorists north of the Beit Ha’Arava junction.
US Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides confirmed that the victim of the Arab terror attack was an American citizen.
האמריקנים מודיעים: הנרצח בפיגוע הירי בבקעת הירדן הוא אזרח אמריקני
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“The injured person was evacuated during resuscitation efforts which also continued at the hospital, but unfortunately the staff had to pronounce him dead,” a hospital spokesperson said in a statement.
הרכב בו נסע הפצוע אנוש בפיגוע הירי בצומת בית הערבה pic.twitter.com/7MbsVfHhTh
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“When we arrived the victim was unconscious outside his car with gunshot wounds to his upper body,” said MDA Paramedic Eden Cohen, who treated the victim. “MDA teams were performing CPR. We immediately moved him to the MICU, provided advanced life-saving treatment and fought to save his life, performing CPR all the way to the hospital.”
The attack took place on Highway 90 in the Jordan Valley. IDF soldiers shut down the roads in the area in an effort to capture the gunman, who fled the scene in a car which he subsequently set on fire. He then continued on foot to Jericho, according to Israel’s KAN 11 News public broadcaster.
The roads were subsequently reopened.
In addition, two other terror attacks were carried out nearly simultaneously, in three separate locations, all of them drive-by shootings, possibly by the same terrorists, and all of them in the Jordan Valley.
A second Israeli was likewise reported to be critically wounded in a follow-on attack that took place near Mount Nebo. The reported injury was unconfirmed, however.
At a third location, Palestinian Authority terrorists opened fire on Highway 90 near St. George’s Monastery, also in the Jordan Valley, near the Almog Junction. The terrorists sprayed an Israeli vehicle with bullets, but miraculously, no one was injured.
It is believed the same terrorist/s were responsible for all three shootings.
Within the hour, Palestinian Authority Arabs were handing out sweets in celebration of the murderous attacks.
#West_Bank: Handing out sweets in celebration of tonight's shooting attack which left a 25-year-old #Israeli in critical condition pic.twitter.com/FfaeUcjbf3
— AbuAliEnglish (@AbuAliEnglishB1) February 27, 2023
The Beit Ha’Arava junction is located near the Jordan Valley city of Jericho, which is under the control of the Palestinian Authority.
Last month, a new terrorist cell called the “Aqabat Jabr Battalion” — affiliated with the al-Qassam Brigades military wing of Hamas — announced its formation in the village of Aqabat Jabr. The nascent terrorist cell allegedly clashed with Israeli forces operating in the Jericho area, according to The Jerusalem Post.
IDF Special Forces have blocked the entrances to Jericho, where they are hunting for the terrorist/s. The IDF is also searching the village of Aqabat Jabr for the shooters.
