Palestinian Muslim terrorists opened fire on Jewish worshippers visiting the traditional burial site of the biblical patriarch Joseph on Wednesday night, wounding three of them.
Joseph’s Tomb is located on the outskirts of biblical Shechem, which is today the Palestinian Authority-controlled town of Nablus. Jews wishing to visit the holy site must do so under heavy IDF guard.
See: From Abraham to Arafat: Shechem, First Stop in the Promised Land
The group that visited on Wednesday night reportedly came under “massive” Palestinian gunfire, the IDF said in a statement. Two civilian worshippers and one military officer suffered light wounds in the attack. Israeli forces returned fire while evacuating the civilians, according to the IDF.
One of the Israeli casualties was identified by the IDF as Col. Roy Zweig, the commanding officer of the Samaria Regional Brigade. He was wounded by shrapnel and evacuated to hospital for treatment.
Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria Regional Council, praised Zweig for his bravery under fire.
דיווח ראשוני: ירי לעבר קבר יוסף בשכם – שני אזרחים וחייל נפצעו קל@carmeldangor pic.twitter.com/VMUx0yH9c2
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) June 29, 2022
“Col. Zweig refused to treat his own injury before he finished evacuating all of the worshipers securely,” said Dagan, according to Kan news.
Dagan condemned the “barbaric terrorism of the Palestinian Authority” and vowed that Israelis would not be dissuaded from visiting Joseph’s Tomb.
According to Kan, some 300 worshippers were at the site when the attack occurred.
With reporting by JNS.
