IDF launches manhunt after second reported Hizme stabbing in 24 hours

A Jewish Israeli man in his 40s was moderately hurt after apparently being stabbed in the Palestinian town of Hizme on Thursday morning, the military and medics said.

The incident is purportedly the second such stabbing in Hizme within 24 hours. The IDF said they were launching a manhunt for an unknown Palestinian assailant.

It was not immediately clear if a single suspect was responsible for the two attacks, but military officials said they could not rule that out. IDF troops are searching the area, the military said in a statement.

According to the IDF, the stabbings on both Wednesday and Thursday appeared to be terror attacks.

The Magen David Adom ambulance service said a man arrived at a nearby checkpoint on Thursday morning and said he had been stabbed while in Hizme. According to the army, he was stabbed while in a store in the town.

He was taken by medics to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem.

Israeli troops are seen in the Palestinian town of Hizme, northeast of Jerusalem, March 3, 2022. (Israel Defense Forces)

On Wednesday afternoon, a 48-year-old Jewish Israeli man was moderately hurt under similar circumstances.

Police said the man, a resident of Jerusalem, said he was stabbed while in a store in the area.

The Hizme checkpoint, northeast of Jerusalem, has been the site of numerous attacks by Palestinians in recent years, mainly against Israeli security forces.