Metal Rod Hurled at Israeli Car By Palestinian on Route 5; Driver and Passengers Survive Near-Fatal Attack

A metal rod was hurled Saturday night at an Israeli vehicle traveling on Route 5 near the Palestinian village of Mas’ha in western Shomron, shattering the windshield and narrowly missing the driver. The woman, treated as an anxiety victim by MDA, was released home. The IDF said the attack appeared to be terrorist related. Overnight, the IDF imposed a closure on Mas’ha, from where the assailant is believed to have acted. The manhunt for the terrorist is ongoing this morning.

Merav Ben Avraham, 23, who sat in the front seat and witnessed the strike, told ynet that the group was traveling from Kedumim toward Petah Tikva when they suddenly heard a massive blast. “We were two girls and a hitchhiker. Three minutes before the Shomron Crossing we heard a boom. We saw the rod in the car. We went into total panic and thought it was a terror attack,” she said.

“We kept driving and tried to stay calm,” she continued. “We called the emergency center; we were afraid to stop. I feel like I was saved by a miracle. It could easily have ended differently. When we reached the checkpoint, the forces came to us and helped. Everything happened very fast and professionally.”

Hadas, the driver who narrowly escaped being hit head-on, described the moment of impact. “A few minutes before the checkpoint I heard a shattering sound. I saw glass flying in the air. I saw a metal rod stuck right in front of my eyes,” she said in an interview.

“It took me a second to understand it was a terror attack,” she added. “The moment I understood, I asked the hitchhiker who was with me to call the Shomron center, and we reported it.” She said she remained composed long enough to reach the checkpoint, but collapsed once soldiers approached her car. “The soldier looked at the windshield and asked me how I kept driving like that, and I just started crying. I thank God I was saved.”

The IDF said in a statement that “IDF forces rushed to the A-Zawiya area in the Ephraim Brigade after a report of a terrorist who threw a metal rod at a passing Israeli vehicle. There are no injuries, but the vehicle was damaged. The IDF and Shin Bet are conducting searches and questioning suspects in order to locate the terrorist.”

Shomron Regional Council head Yossi Dagan issued a sharp response: “The Palestinian Authority is a bitter enemy, engaged in incitement, leading terror, and funding terror—whether through its so-called ‘security forces,’ or through Hamas and the Popular Front. Shomron is the protective shield of the state. This attack ended in a miracle with no casualties. We demand that it be treated as a serious attack. We expect sweeping measures in the village—closure, curfew, and house-to-house operations. We will not accept the return of terror to the area.”

IDF forces remain deployed around Mas’ha as searches continue today to locate the terrorist.