Police: Palestinian Threw Acid on Israeli Family In West Bank

Israeli authorities are reporting that a Palestinian man poured acid on an Israeli family in the West Bank on Friday as part of an alleged terrorist attack.

The attack reportedly occurred Friday as six members of an Israeli family were in a car near the Betar Ilit settlement, in between Jerusalem and Bethlehem, when they were attacked by a passerby with what appears to be acid. The victims of the attack complaining of a light burning sensation and difficulty breathing after the attack.

The attacker, identified by police as 45-year-old Jamal Abd al-Majid Ghayatha, then reportedly attempted to stab one of the family members with a screw driver. An onlooker then reportedly drove their car into Ghayatha and shot him.

Police say Ghayatha has previously served time in Israeli jail for participating in Islamic jihadist activities in the Middle Eastern country.

The attack comes several weeks after another terrorist-relate incident in which a Jerusalem synagogue was attacked by Palestinians wielding meat cleavers and pistols.

Of the four rabbis that were killed in the November synagogue attack, three held dual U.S.-Israel citizenship.

The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement Friday that the terrorist "attacked both the passengers and the hitchhiker with acid, wounding them lightly to moderately." The Israeli family had reportedly pulled over to pick up a hitchhiker when they were attacked with the acid.

The IDF goes on to state that a nearby driver tried to "halt the Palestinian with his vehicle. The Palestinian attempted to flee and the driver fired at his lower extremities, identifying two hits. The terrorist, as well as the victims, received preliminary medical care at the scene."