East Jerusalem man tries to stab cops near Old City, is shot dead — police
33-year-old assailant reportedly first tried to attack civilians in overnight incident near Damascus Gate; no Israelis hurt
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
Police said early Friday that they had killed a man who attempted to stab officers near Damascus Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem, adding that none of them were hurt.
The assailant had reportedly tried to stab several civilians before the officers arrived on the scene.
The incident occurred around 3:45 a.m., when officers spotted a terrorist, according to a police statement. Then, the suspect – a 33-year-old man from East Jerusalem – allegedly attempted to stab the officers with a knife.
The officers shot the man, and his death was pronounced on site, the police said in a statement.
Jerusalem District police commander Avshalom Peled visited the scene Friday morning for a situation assessment.
In a video statement from the site, Peled commended the officers’ “determination and professionalism,” and declared: “Jerusalem is more secure than ever.”
Graphic footage shared on social media showed the slain assailant lying on the ground along with the knife he had apparently wielded. Other footage showed the covered body being wheeled away.
הפיגוע הלילה בשער שכם: תיעוד מפינוי גופת המחבל שחוסל במקום. pic.twitter.com/Xr75xryWpl
— השטיבלאך (@Hashtiblach) September 4, 2026
Police did not specify whether the suspect was an Israeli citizen or merely a permanent resident, as many East Jerusalem residents are.
The Ynet news site, in an unsourced report, said the assailant had arrived at the scene on a motorcycle and initially tried to stab several civilians. Those civilians managed to escape, and called the police.
The police statement did not include this alleged part of the episode.
There have been numerous knife and gun attacks by Palestinians at the heavily policed Damascus Gate over the years, some of them deadly.
In 2024, a 33-year-old Israeli man from the Bedouin town of Ar’ara Banegev, south of Beersheba, stabbed a Border Police officer at the site, lightly wounding him before other officers shot and killed him.
In 2023, police said they foiled an attempted stabbing by a 31-year-old from the Bedouin town of Rahat.
And in 2022, a Palestinian man from the West Bank town of Abwein, north of Ramallah, stabbed a Border Police officer in the neck, nearly killing him. The assailant in that attack, Nadheer Dar Ahmad, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the incident, but was released in October 2025 as part of a ceasefire, hostage, and prisoner-release deal with the Hamas terror group.
The Times of Israel Community.