Driver Suspected in Fatal Hit-and-Run Claims He Was Attacked

The driver suspected of fatally striking 17-year-old Amihai Attia in Hadera early Friday morning claims he was attacked by a large group and feared for his life. The driver, who is hospitalized with a gunshot wound to his hand after being shot by a civilian security team member, stated that the collision occurred as he was trying to escape the attackers. "I was attacked by 40 to 50 people," the driver said, adding, "I felt my life was in danger. While trying to escape and driving backward, I apparently hit one of the people. I didn't intend to run anyone over, I'm not a terrorist, I just wanted to get out of there alive."

He further explained that he did not stop after being shot because he believed his attackers would have killed him if he had. "If I had stopped, they would have killed me. Very simply, they would have killed me," he stated. The driver is currently being treated at Hillel Yaffe Medical Center.

The incident occurred around 1:40 AM in the parking lot of a commercial center in Hadera, where Selichot prayers were being held. Initial investigations suggest a confrontation erupted between the driver and a group of youths. Security footage shows the driver's commercial vehicle attempting to flee while being pursued by a crowd. The victim, Amihai Attia, a 12th-grade student from the Itamar settlement, was struck during a maneuver within the parking lot.

Witnesses, suspecting a nationalistic terror attack, alerted the local security team, one of whom fired at the fleeing vehicle. The driver was apprehended by police shortly after. Attia was evacuated to the hospital in critical condition with a severe head injury and was later pronounced dead. He was remembered by his community and yeshiva as a beloved student and active guide.

The police are investigating the circumstances of the incident, and the driver is being questioned under caution for offenses including leaving the scene of an accident, reckless driving, and endangering human life. His attorney, Yosef Shalvi, is representing him, and it remains unclear if his medical condition will permit him to attend a court hearing for the extension of his detention.