Palestinian killed while trying to stab guard at crossing — police

A Palestinian man armed with a knife was shot and killed by Israeli security forces as he attempted to stab a guard at a crossing outside Jerusalem Tuesday morning, police said.

The incident occurred at the Qalandiya Crossing north of Jerusalem, which links the capital to the Palestinian refugee camp of the same name.

The attacker was declared dead of his wounds at the scene, a police spokesperson said. The Palestinian Health Ministry identified the man as Jihad Mohammad Sa’id Khalil (48), from Beit Wazan, located west of Nablus.

According to police, the assailant walked toward guards manning an area meant for vehicular traffic. When asked for his ID, he drew a knife and “tussled” with a guard. He was then shot by responding forces.

Israeli security forces guard at the Qalandiya Checkpoint near Ramallah, following an attempted stabbing attack, on November 22, 2016. (Credit: Flash90)

“A Palestinian terrorist armed with a knife attempted to stab a security guard. The security guard responded at the scene,” a police spokesperson said in a statement.

The guard was not hurt.

Police added that the area had been closed off and an investigation launched.

A picture of the scene tweeted by Israeli Arab news site 48n News appeared to show the attacker lying on the ground.

#صورة تظهر الشاب الذي أطلقت قوات الاحتلال النار عليه على حاجز قلنديا شمال #القدس المحتلة. pic.twitter.com/tNqeLCxeXC

— 48 الإخبارية (@48nnews) November 22, 2016

A spate of stabbings by Palestinian assailants a year ago has waned over the last six months, though sporadic attacks have persisted.

From October 2015 to October 2016, 36 Israelis, two Americans and an Eritrean national were killed in stabbing, car-ramming and shooting attacks.

According to AFP figures, some 238 Palestinians, a Jordanian and a Sudanese migrant were also killed during the violent spurt, most of them in the course of carrying out attacks, Israel says, and many of the others in clashes with troops in the West Bank and at the Gaza border, as well as in Israeli airstrikes in the Strip.

Dov Lieber contributed to this report.