A Palestinian man threw what is believed to be acid on an Israeli family in the West Bank on Friday before he was shot and wounded, Israeli authorities said.
The attack occurred as an Israeli man, his wife and four children were sitting in a car in the Gush Etzion settlement block located south of Jerusalem, the Associated Press reported.
The unnamed assailant reportedly posed as a hitchhiker and "poured an unknown substance suspected to be acid on a Jewish family," Israeli police spokeswoman Luba Samri told Reuters. A civilian who was passing by the area shot and wounded the attacker in the leg before he could flee.
The extent of the family's injuries is unclear, but police said they were not serious. The attacker was arrested and received medical treatment at a hospital.
Dozens of Israelis and Palestinians have been killed in attacks involving knives and cars in recent months, including one in the West Bank on Friday when a Palestinian drove his car into a bus stop where Israeli troops were waiting, the AP reported. Most of the Palestinian fatalities have been the attackers.
On Wednesday a prominent Palestinian minister died during clashes between protesters and Israeli forces in the West Bank. An Israeli officer grabbed minister Ziad Abu Ein by the neck shortly before he collapsed to the ground and died on the way to the hospital.
A Palestinian medical official concluded the neck grab contributed to Ein's heart failing, while an Israeli official said the minister had a heart attack brought on by stress, according to Reuters.
