Bolster security, Palestinian hospitals told following IDF raid
Order from PM Hamdallah comes after Israeli troops storm Hebron medical center to arrest stabbing attack suspect, and wind up killing his cousin
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Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah on Thursday ordered an increase in security at Palestinian hospitals across the West Bank, the Ynet news site reported, following an overnight raid by the Israeli forces on a Hebron hospital aimed at arresting a suspect in a recent stabbing attack.
Abdullah Azzam Shalaldeh, a 28-year-old Palestinian, was shot dead when Israeli soldiers raided the Alahli Hospital in Hebron to arrest his cousin, Azzam Izzat Shalaldeh. The Shin Bet security agency said in a statement that Shalaldeh was shot when he attacked soldiers as they tried to carry out the arrest.
Thousands attended Shalaldah’s funeral on Thursday in the West Bank town of Sair near Hebron, the Palestinian Ma’an News Agency reported.
The Shin Bet said it raided the hospital along with IDF and Border Police troops to arrest the 20-year-old Shalaldeh, after receiving intelligence that he was recovering there from a gunshot wound he received while carrying out a stabbing attack on a West Bank road two weeks ago.
The director of the hospital said undercover commandos arrived in two minibuses at approximately 3 a.m. They entered through the front gate, pretending to escort a pregnant woman through the maternity ward.
A video posted to YouTube purports to show security footage of undercover Israeli troops walking through the hospital while pushing a person in a wheelchair.
The Shin Bet said after his capture, Azzam Shalaldeh was taken to an undisclosed Israeli hospital.
Shalaldeh was accused of stabbing an Israeli man who got out of his car after being stoned outside the West Bank settlement of Metzad, south of Jerusalem.
He was shot by the stabbing victim, but managed to escape the scene, making his way to the Alahli Hosptial where he has been receiving treatment for the past two weeks.
The Israeli middle-aged man sustained moderate injuries to his upper body during the attack.
According to the Shin Bet, Azzam Shalaldeh is the son of a known Hamas operative.
Judah Ari Gross, Raoul Wootliff, and AFP contributed to this report.
The Times of Israel Community.