Israeli soldier moderately hurt in West Bank stabbing; assailant caught
Three Islamic Jihad gunmen killed overnight during IDF operation in Tulkarem; troops raid offices allegedly used to fund terror
An Israeli soldier was stabbed near the West Bank settlement of Yitzhar and suffered moderate injuries, the military and medics said Thursday.
The Israel Defense Forces said the noncommissioned officer was stabbed at Yitzhar Junction, near Huwara, while in his vehicle. The stabber then fled the scene.
The military said it launched a manhunt for the Palestinian assailant and was blocking roads in the area. Three hours later, the suspected attacker was caught in the Palestinian town of Awarta, not far from where the attack took place, the IDF said.
The wounded man was able to reach a nearby military position after being attacked. There, he told soldiers that he had slowed down and opened the window of his vehicle because he saw a Palestinian gesturing to him with his hand, the Kan public broadcaster reported.
Medics took the soldier to Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva, which said that after receiving initial medical treatment he was now regarded as lightly wounded.
Huwara has been a hotbed of violence in recent years with several deadly terror attacks in and around the Palestinian town, which have been met with revenge attacks from extremist settlers who have repeatedly rampaged through it.
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It was the second stabbing incident of the day after early in the morning a man tried to stab Border Police officers in East Jerusalem. Officers opened fire on the man, killing him before he could cause any injuries.
There was deadly violence in other areas of the West Bank, with three Palestinian gunmen killed overnight in clashes with troops during a crackdown on terror funding in the territory, according to Palestinian Authority officials and the IDF.
The military said the raids targeted offices allegedly involved in funneling money for terror purposes in Tulkarem, Nablus, Qalqilya, Bethlehem, Ramallah, Tubas, and other locations.
Cash, documents, and “technological equipment” were seized amid the raids, the IDF said.
In Tulkarem and Qalqiliya, troops came under attack — though none of them were hurt — and returned fire, according to the army.
Border Police troops also opened fire and killed three Palestinian gunmen who were planting explosive devices in Tulkarem, the military said.
The Palestinian Authority’s health ministry identified those killed as Ayman Ahmad Mubarak, 26, Husam Imad Daabas, 22, and Mohammed Yusif Nasrallah, 27.
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group later claimed the three as members of its armed wing.
Several others were wounded by IDF fire in Tulkarem, the PA ministry said.
On Wednesday, Palestinian officials said Israeli troops killed a man as clashes broke out after a West Bank march commemorating the Palestinian “Nakba,” or catastrophe, of Israel’s creation in 1948. The Israeli army did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Tensions between Israelis and Palestinians have risen in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since the outbreak of the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza following the October 7 massacre, which saw Hamas terrorists kill about 1,200 people in Israel and kidnap 252.
Since October 7, troops have arrested some 4,000 wanted Palestinians across the West Bank, including more than 1,700 affiliated with Hamas. According to the PA’s health ministry, more than 490 West Bank Palestinians have been killed in that time.
The Times of Israel Community.