Three Israeli soldiers wounded in a drive-by terror shooting in western Samaria

This is a developing story.

The Israel Defense Forces launched a manhunt for terrorists who shot and wounded three IDF soldiers on Thursday morning on Highway 55, near western Samaria, according to media reports. The incident took place on the highway near the Palestinian village of Nabi Elias and the Israeli town of Alfei Menashe.

Magen David Adom rescue services treated three wounded Israelis on the scene. The IDF later confirmed that the wounded were soldiers conducting a patrol in the area.

One 25-year-old man was in moderate condition and a 34-year-old man was lightly injured, both suffering from gunshot wounds. They were evacuated to the Meir Hospital in nearby Kfar Saba.

Another man was treated by paramedics on the scene for minor injuries.

A preliminary probe showed a gunman opening fire on the victims while driving in a car, before speeding away.

The IDF has activated large forces to search for the attacker and possible accomplices.

Oz’el Vatik, head of the Kedumim Regional Council, said in response to the shooting attack that “when you ignore throwing stones and Molotov cocktails and treat shooting attacks as one-off incidents, the situation on the ground deteriorates and there is a price for that.”

“Miraculously we did not lose any lives today. We must show zero tolerance for terrorist attacks of any kind, act to eliminate terrorists, and enter into a broad proactive activity within the villages and cities to collect weapons.”

Several hours after the attack, Army Radio reported that IDF soldiers raided the Palestinian villages Nabi Elias, Azoun and Baka al-Khattab. Additionally, Israeli forces closed off the nearby city of Qalqilya as part of the manhunt.