IDF: Palestinian shot dead after attempting to stab soldiers in southern West Bank
In 2nd attack of day, troops spot suspect at bus stop, start questioning him when he pulls out knife
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
A Palestinian man who allegedly attempted to stab soldiers in the southern West Bank on Tuesday was shot dead, the military said.
According to the Israel Defense Forces, an officer and her driver who were passing by a bus station at the Eshtamoa Junction, close to the West Bank settlement of Shim’a, spotted a suspect and decided to turn around to question him.
When they stopped to question the Palestinian suspect, he pulled out a knife and tried to stab the officer and the soldier, the IDF said.
The IDF said the soldier shot the suspect in response. Military medics declared his death at the scene.
Palestinian media named the alleged assailant as 15-year-old Mohammad Farid Zaarir.
There were no other injuries in the attack, which came hours after a Palestinian terrorist carried out a shooting attack in the Ma’ale Adumim settlement near Jerusalem that left six Israelis hurt, before being shot dead by a Border Police officer.
Tensions have remained high in the West Bank, with the military carrying out near-nightly raids amid a series of deadly Palestinian terror attacks in Israel and the West Bank that have killed 25 people since the beginning of the year.
According to a tally by The Times of Israel, 162 West Bank Palestinians have been killed since the beginning of the year — most of them during clashes with security forces or while carrying out attacks, but some were uninvolved civilians and others were killed under unclear circumstances.
