A terror attack struck Route 446 between the community of Bruchin and the Peduel Junction in the Shomron on Wednesday night, when terrorists opened fire at a vehicle, critically wounding a woman in an advanced stage of pregnancy, approximately 30 years old, and seriously injuring her husband.

The couple was on the way to the delivery room in the hospital for the wife to give birth.

MDA teams quickly provided medical care and evacuated both victims to Beilinson Hospital in Petach Tikvah by ambulance. The doctors delivered the baby and are fighting to save the lives of both mother and baby. The baby is in serious but stable condition.

The condition of the male victim has improved, and he is now listed in light condition.

A security source said that, according to initial details, the terrorist opened fire on three vehicles but only hit one of them. It was also reported that the terrorist pointed lasers at the vehicles before opening fire.

IDF forces have secured the area and launched a manhunt for the terrorist. It was reported shortly later that the IDF believes the terrorist fled to the Palestinian village of Burqin in the Jenin area. IDF forces have surrounded the village and special forces were deployed to the area.

“I am deeply shocked by the horrific attack in Samaria against a woman in advanced pregnancy and her husband, as they were on their way to the delivery room,” PM Netanyahu said in a statement.

“I trust that our security forces will, in this case as in others, quickly reach the murderers and hold them and all who aided them to account,” the statement read.

MDA paramedic Erez Fogel said: “We left with the ambulance from the nearby yishuv and arrived quickly at the scene. We saw a private vehicle with signs of gunfire on the side of the road. Inside the vehicle was the driver, a woman in her 30s, unconscious with severe gunshot wounds. In the passenger seat next to the driver was a man in his 40s, fully conscious, who was also suffering from gunshot wounds. He tried to treat the injured woman next to him and tried to stop her bleeding. We extracted both of them from the vehicle and provided them with medical treatment. We put the woman in the intensive care unit ambulance and evacuated her to the hospital while performing resuscitation efforts, as her condition was critical. We evacuated the man in another intensive care unit ambulance, fully conscious and in serious condition.”

The head of the Shomron Regional Council, Yossi Dagan, who is currently on a diplomatic visit to Washington, stopped his meetings and was updated on the incident with the IDF and security officials.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)