A terrorist opened fire last night (Wednesday) towards a civilian Israeli bus at the Al-Hadar Junction, known as the “tunnels checkpoint,” leading from Gush Etzion to Jerusalem. Yehoshua Aharon Tuvia Simcha, a 10-year-old boy, was severely injured and his death was confirmed at the Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center. Two men, aged approximately 55 and 24, were injured by shrapnel, with their condition identified as mild; another injured woman, about 40 years old, was evacuated for medical treatment at Shaare Zedek Hospital, with her condition defined as moderate. The IDF spokesperson stated that security forces initiated a chase after the terrorist.
“We Thank the Security Forces but Request to Increase Security Arrangements”
Shortly after 23:30, a terrorist arrived by car at the tunnels checkpoint and opened fire towards bus line 291, which was leaving Beitar Illit and heading to Jerusalem. As mentioned, four people were affected by the gunfire. Security forces launched a chase, set up blockades, and surrounded Bethlehem. The bus sustained 22 bullet impacts.
The family, from Jerusalem, was returning from a family celebration and was caught in the gunfire from which their 10-year-old son was murdered. Beitar’s mayor, Meir Rubinstein, said at the scene of the attack: “We underwent a very difficult event. We thank the security forces for the numerous actions they perform here day and night, and still, we request to enhance security arrangements on the roads and especially at checkpoint traffic jams. It is not acceptable that we continue to stand like ducks in a shooting range.”
MDA paramedic Elhai Sofer and senior MDA medic Yaakov Greenwald recounted what they saw: “We arrived quickly at the scene, saw the bus with passengers, conducted a quick scan, and saw a boy about 12 years old with gunshot wounds to his upper body. We provided life-saving medical treatment and evacuated him in an MDA intensive care ambulance to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital while continuing treatment as we fought for his life.”
