IDF: Soldier stabbed in West Bank, gun snatched; suspect arrested

An Israeli soldier was stabbed and moderately injured in the Jordan Valley on Thursday, the military said.

The suspect in the attack in the West Bank approached the soldier and attempted to steal her gun, the Israel Defense Forces said. The servicewoman fought back against the assailant and was stabbed in the back during the altercation, the military said.

The suspect then snatched the gun and fled, the army said, adding that her assailant was later apprehended and the weapon was retrieved.

The Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center in Jerusalem said the 21-year-old soldier was in moderate condition with a stab wound to her upper body. Her condition is stable and she is fully conscious, the hospital said.

The West Bank saw a sharp rise in Palestinian attacks and attempted attacks during the May conflict between Israel and Gaza terror groups and in its aftermath, though the near-daily violence has mostly subsided since.

Last Friday, security forces foiled an attempted stabbing attack in the settlement of Yitzhar in the northern West Bank.

Video from the moments after the stabbing in the Jordan Valley, and the soldiers chasing the suspect that stabbed a soldier and snatched her weapon.https://t.co/RjYnDyBq1D pic.twitter.com/YMxC3Ss6HA

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) July 1, 2021

“A suspect was identified by an IDF observation post a short while ago attempting to enter the community of Yitzhar,” the army said at the time.

The settlement’s security officer attempted to detain the knife-carrying suspect and shot him in the lower part of the body when he refused to stop, the army said. It did not give any details on his condition. There were no other injuries reported.