Updated: On Thursday morning, a Palestinian man driving a small truck west of Ramallah drove into a group of Israeli soldiers walking on the road. One of the soldiers was killed, five were wounded, including three soldiers, and a Palestinian worker who was at the bus stop was also injured. In addition, two people in another vehicle were slightly injured when the truck hit their car, before the soldiers fatally shot him.
— Update 2: Israeli daily Haaretz said the army identified the slain soldier as Sgt. Maxim Molchanov added that he was seriously injured before succumbing to his wounds. Maxin immigrated to Israel from Ukraine to Israel in the year 2017.
Haaretz also said that two other soldiers sustained mild wounds, adding that two Israeli citizens in a nearby car and a 15-year-old Palestinian child were also injured.
The driver drove away and was apprehended at another checkpoint several kilometers down the road. Several soldiers at that checkpoint drew their weapons and shot the driver, killing him.
The driver of the vehicles has been identified as Daoud Abdul-Razeq Daras, a 41-year-old father of five who was working in Israel and driving back to the West Bank when the collision occurred. Daoud was from Deir Ammar town, northwest of Ramallah.
Israeli Ynet News said the Palestinian “entered Israel on foot at 5:55 in the early morning using his work permit and then boarded a truck with an Israeli license plate.
The Maan News Agency quoted the Israeli Army Radio stating that further investigations revealed that the Palestinian driver was assaulted by Israeli soldiers at a military roadblock seven kilometers away two weeks ago.
The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation reported that medical sources said two injured soldiers are in serious condition.
The collision, and subsequent shooting of the driver of the vehicle, took place near a military checkpoint by the illegal Israeli colony known as ‘Mod’in’, which is built on stolen Palestinian land owned by residents of the village of Beit Sira.
The Times Of Israel said the soldier who was killed was off-duty, and added that six and six persons, including soldiers, were wounded.
It added that, according to the Israel army’s initial investigation, the Palestinian truck driver arrived at the military roadblock from the Israeli side, before he reportedly made a U-turn without and ran over a number of off-duty soldiers.
