A potential car bomb was discovered and neutralized today (Monday) at the entrance to Ateret, a settlement in the Benjamin Regional Council of the West Bank. The incident, which occurred around 9:06 AM local time, marks the latest in a series of similar threats in the region.
According to police reports, a passing citizen alerted authorities to a suspicious vehicle. Upon investigation, military forces and Border Police sappers identified two large gas cylinders connected to an activation mechanism inside the car. Police sappers successfully neutralized the device without any casualties.
As reported by Kann News, Israel Gantz, head of the Benjamin Regional Council and chairman of the Yesha Council, described the incident as "a great miracle" and called for increased military action in Judea and Samaria. "Terrorism in Judea and Samaria requires military action just like in Gaza and Rafah," Gantz stated. He further advocated for moving populations and destroying "terrorist neighborhoods and infrastructure to the ground."
This event follows two similar incidents in Gush Etzion just three days prior, where terrorists attempted to use car bombs in a coordinated attack. In the first incident, a terrorist arrived at a gas station at the Gush Etzion junction in a vehicle that was already on fire. The car exploded minutes later, after the terrorist had exited and attempted to attack a military force. The terrorist was eliminated, but the incident resulted in light injuries to the Etzion Brigade Commander and a reserve officer, while another officer was moderately injured.
In the second incident, another terrorist breached the entrance of the Carmei Tzur settlement with a car bomb. A security patrol pursued and collided with the terrorist's vehicle. Despite being lightly injured, the security officer managed to neutralize the terrorist. The car bomb exploded during the exchange of fire.
Shai Alon, head of the Beit El Council, expressed grave concern over the increasing frequency of such attempts, stating, "This is the third car bomb in just three days. We must internalize that the threat of bombs and explosions is here more than ever." Alon called for an expansion of Operation 'Summer Camps' throughout Judea and Samaria, advocating for proactive measures in all Palestinian cities in the region.
"We need to surprise our enemies and reverse the equation," Alon continued, "proactively go out to all Palestinian cities in Judea and Samaria, surround them, enter with large forces and perform a thorough cleansing of any threat to the residents of the State of Israel. If we don't wake up to the threat, we will regret it in rivers of our loved ones' blood."
The Israeli army has blocked traffic on the Benjamin connecting road as a precautionary measure. Authorities continue to investigate the incident as part of ongoing efforts to counter terrorism in the region. The recent surge in car bomb attempts has heightened concerns among Israeli officials and residents about the evolving nature of security threats in the area.
