One Seriously Wounded in Binyamin-Area Attack
Palestinian terrorists attacked a Jewish couple as they drove north of Kochav HaShachar. The man was badly wounded in the head.

by Maayana Miskin, Arutz Sheva
January 20, 2009

Terrorists attacked a Jewish couple as they drove north of Kochav HaShachar in the Binyamin region on Monday night. The man was badly wounded in the head. The woman was hit by flying debris, but apparently not wounded.

Rescue workers said the attackers fired on the victims' vehicle from a passing car. Other sources cited by Nana/10 say the shots could have been fired by a sniper. The woman took her husband's place in the driver's seat and drove to the entrance of Kochav HaShachar and summoned help to the area, and a large security force came and started searching for the attackers. The man was taken by a military helicopter to Hadassah Ein-Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem.

Haaretz identified the victim as Kochav HaShachar resident Moshe Avitan.

A similar attack was reported approximately one week ago near the city of Kiryat Arba. In that attack terrorists fired on soldiers, lightly wounding three.

Several attacks have been reported since the beginning of the Cast Lead counter-terror operation in Gaza three weeks ago, as terrorists in Judea and Samaria attempt to avenge the deaths of Hamas terrorists in Gaza.

Earlier on Monday evening a rock attack was reported near the Hawara checkpoint in the Shomron. A bus was damaged, but no injuries were reported.

On Sunday, IDF Intelligence Chief Gen. Amos Yadlin warned that Hamas would attempt attacks in Judea, Samaria and the rest of the country in order to rebuild its image following its failure to cause mass casualties during Cast Lead.