Ilan Ben Zion, a reporter at the Associated Press, is a former news editor at The Times of Israel. He holds a Masters degree in Diplomacy from Tel Aviv University and an Honors Bachelors degree from the University of Toronto in Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations, Jewish Studies, and English.
Paramedics at the scene where two Palestinian stabbed three Israelis at the Old City's Jaffa Gate in Jerusalem on December 23, 2015. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
The Times of Israel liveblogged Wednesday’s events as they unfolded.
Israeli hurt in attack grappled with Palestinian attacker
One of the Israelis injured in the stabbing outside the Old City of Jerusalem was injured while grappling with his assailant.
The Israeli who was seriously injured was accidentally shot by Border Police officers who responded to the incident and shot the Palestinian attackers.
One attacker is dead and the second is seriously injured and still receiving treatment at the scene.
A Jerusalem police spokesman tells Israel Radio that the attack outside the Old City of Jerusalem “could have been much worse” if it weren’t for the quick response of Border Police soldiers who were at the scene.
He says the women were stationed at the Jaffa Gate when they discerned the attack taking place not far from their position. They ran over and shot the attackers in the midst of the attack, killing one terrorist and injuring a second.
One of the three Israelis hurt in the incident was reportedly hit by police gunfire and seriously hurt.
One of the Border Police soldiers who shot the knife-wielding Palestinians outside was a trained medic and began treating the injured after taking down the attacker.
Police shared a photo of her bloodstained armored vest following the attack (It can be seen here, but you’ve been warned. It’s a bit graphic).
Magen David Adom shares a video from the scene of the attack
Video from the scene of the stabbing attack outside of the Old City of Jerusalem. (Credit: MDA) pic.twitter.com/PzeAWsSoce
Policewomen ‘heroes of the day,’ Jerusalem mayor says
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat arrives at the scene of the attack, not far from city hall, and says that the “wave of attacks across the country has yet to end.”
“I’ve spoken with the police officers who attacked the terrorists and they are the heroes of the day,” he says. “Our war against the terror of knives continues.”
He implores Israelis to continue to visit Jerusalem despite the attack.
Paramedics say that the critically injured man hurt in an attack was shot by Border Police. Aharon Adler, the paramedic who treated the victim, says he was evacuated immediately to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem and taken straight to the operating room.
Army tells farmers to keep away from Lebanon border
The IDF has instructed farmers to limit their activity near the border with Lebanon, just days after a senior Hezbollah commander was assassinated in Syria and rockets fired from Lebanon landed in northern Israel.
Soldiers operating along the northern border have been instructed to wear helmets and bulletproof vests to protect themselves against possible sniping from across the border.
Hezbollah vowed revenge for the assassination of Samir Kuntar on Sunday, which it claimed was carried out by Israel.
Law enforcement has yet to determine the identities of the two terrorists in today’s attack as the pair were not carrying IDs or other documents, a police spokeswoman says.
Bystanders beat Palestinians shot by police outside Jaffa Gate
A video uploaded to YouTube by Haaretz after the stabbing near the Jaffa Gate appears to show bystanders beating injured terror suspects who lie prone on the ground. One Jewish man kicks something, likely one of the Palestinian men who were shot by police, as officers make feeble attempts to prevent bystanders from approaching.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is the clear leader among Republican voters polled by CNN, with 39% compared to second place Ted Cruz, who got 18%.
4 arrested for attacking cops at Duma suspects protest
Four people were arrested outside the Petah Tikva Magistrate’s Court at a protest over the detention of suspects in the Duma firebombing case. The four were arrested for attacking police and disturbing the peace, Ynet reports.
Police confirm Jaffa Gate attackers were from Qalandia
Police share a photo of the knives used in the attack at the Jaffa Gate earlier in the day. The police confirm that the two suspected attackers, both killed during the attack by Border Police, were from the Qalandia refugee camp north of Jerusalem.
Palestinian media identified the two men as Anan Abu Habsah and Issa Assaf, both 21.
Police confirm both Palestinian terrorists came from Kalandia area. Both shot & killed. Knifes used in attack. pic.twitter.com/2UZdfuOM9R
Ukraine president delays Western Wall trip after Jaffa Gate attack
Visiting Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko postpones his visit to the Western Wall after the terror attack at the Jaffa Gate, Army Radio reports.
He was initially supposed to visit the Jewish holy site around the time of the attack, which took place just after 1 p.m., but canceled, then decided to visit at 7:30 p.m.
A Border Police soldier who was involved in stopping a terrorist attack earlier today and shooting the two Palestinian attackers dead recounts the moment of the incident.
“We saw at least three people starting to run from IDF Square toward the Jaffa Gate, really running like crazy, [and] we understood that something’s happening there,” she said.
“We immediately ran toward them to see what’s happening and we saw two [attackers] on one [victim],” she said.
Immediately they opened fire, inflicting deadly wounds on the two attackers and injuring an Israeli caught in the crossfire.
Interior Minister Silvan Shalom is expected to tender formally his resignation from government amid a sexual harassment scandal, Channel 2’s Amit Segal reports. (Update: The allegations against Shalom were not substantiated and a police investigation was subsequently closed.)
Israel returns remains of terrorists from November attacks
Israel has returned the bodies of two Palestinian terrorists: the remains of Ahmed Abu al-Rab, 17, who tried to stab soldiers at the Jalameh crossing in the northern West Bank at the beginning of November, and those of Sadeh Gharibeh, 16, who attempted to stab soldiers near Jerusalem in November.
UN calls on Israel to pay Lebanon $854m for oil slick
The UN General Assembly voted in favor of a resolution calling on Israel to compensate Lebanon to the tune of $856.4 million for an oil slick on the Lebanese coast during the 2006 Second Lebanon War.
This is the ninth time the Assembly passed the resolution, with 171 states voting in favor, six against (Australia, Canada, Federated States of Micronesia, Israel, Marshall Islands, United States), and three abstentions (Cameroon, Papua New Guinea, Tonga).
The police say they know the identity of the man who beat and injured a Palestinian terror suspect at Jaffa Gate attack and are trying to find him to take his testimony about his actions.
A video published after today’s attack showed several Jewish bystanders beating and kicking a Palestinian terrorist who police had shot and represented no threat.
Israeli accidentally shot by police in Jaffa Gate attack dies
An Israeli man who was injured by police gunfire during a terrorist attack at the Jaffa Gate earlier today succumbed to his wounds after undergoing surgery at Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem.
The identity of the 40-year-old man from Jerusalem was not immediately available.
According to Channel 2, the man was the 23rd person killed in the latest round of violence that started in October.
Netanyahu offers condolences to family of terror victim
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu comments on the death of an Israeli in a terrorist attack in Jerusalem at an event marking the 90th birthday of Moshe Arens.
“We open the evening with a moment of sadness. An Israeli citizen lost his life in another attack by terrorists,” he says. Netanyahu mentions only one victim, though two died of injuries from the attack.
“I want to convey my condolences to the family and of course praise the two Border Police soldiers who acted quickly under not simple circumstances,” he says. “We are under a continued terror attack. The whole world is awash in wild terrorism and we’re fighting it and we’ll overcome it.”
Celebrants at right-wing wedding cheer murder of Dawabshas
Shocking footage released on Channel 10 tonight shows right-wing extremists who are friends with the suspected perpetrators of the Dawabsha family murder celebrating the killing at a wedding last week.
The video shows revelers at the Jerusalem celebration waving knives, rifles, pistols and a Molotov cocktail, and stabbing a photo of the Dawabsha family. An hour earlier, the detainees’ lawyers held a press conference at the same wedding hall claiming the suspects were tortured by the Shin Bet.
The crowd in the video chants the lyrics of a song which include a verse from Judges 16:28, quoting Samson blinded in Gaza saying “let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes” — but change the word Philistines to Palestine.
Livni rails at ‘group that wants to destroy the Jewish Israel’
Zionist Union MK and former foreign minister Tzipi Livni got up before the Knesset and railed against the video of wedding-goers celebrating the murder of the Dawabsha family, saying “this is the group that wants to destroy the Jewish Israel, to destroy this state from within, to destroy the government from within and sow hate.”
Pointing at Jewish Home MK Bezalel Smutrich, Livni said “these are the people you protest being interrogated by the Shin Bet.
עליתי עכשיו לדבר על החטיבה להתיישבות, מזועזעת מהתחקיר בערוץ 10. היהדות שלי זה לא היהדות של הרוקדים על דם של תינוקות pic.twitter.com/JA8HMCFKgE
An unconfirmed report says that a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip just moments ago impacted just 50 yards from the border fence inside the Palestinian territory.
No sirens went off. No injuries or damage are reported.
It is unclear which organization fired the missile.
Jaffa Gate victim is brother of Argentinian author
One of the victims in today’s terror attack is the brother of a prominent Jewish Argentinian author, Marcelo Birmajer, according to local media.
Reuven Birmajer, father of seven, died from stab wounds inflicted in a terror attack at Jerusalem’s Jaffa Gate. He taught at a yeshiva in the Old City.
Opposition leader Isaac Herzog tweets that the youths seen in the clip celebrating the Dawabsha murder are “lunatics, lowlifes, you forgot what it means to be Jewish. You put to shame the kippa, the talit and the name of God. Those who dance at a wedding and celebrate the death of a baby in his sleep are not Jews and not Israeli. They should be locked up as soon as possible.”
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An Israeli man who was injured by police gunfire during a terrorist attack at the Jaffa Gate earlier today succumbed to his wounds after undergoing surgery at Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem.
The identity of the 40-year-old man from Jerusalem was not immediately available.
According to Channel 2, the man was the 23rd person killed in the latest round of violence that started in October.
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