Police arrest wife of jailed Hamas operative with knife at Tomb of the Patriarchs

A Palestinian woman armed with a knife was detained by Border Police officers at the entrance to the Tomb of the Patriarchs, known as the Ibrahimi Mosque to Muslims, in the West Bank city of Hebron a short while ago, law enforcement officials say.

According to police, the 37-year-old woman, who is married to a Hamas operative currently jailed by Israel, was stopped by Border Police troops at the entrance to the holy site with her two children.

“During the inspection, the suspect was asked by one of the troops to open her bag for inspection, and in response, she refused to cooperate and tried to interfere with the proper course of the inspection,” a police spokesperson says.

Police say the woman was found to be hiding a knife under her shirt, and she was promptly arrested along with one of her sons. The second son was briefly detained as well.

“During her arrest, she stated to the forces that she is married to a Hamas operative who is serving a prison sentence in an Israeli prison and her goal was to carry out a stabbing attack against a specific member of the security forces who operates in the area of ​​the Tomb of the Patriarchs,” police say.