Palestinian man who stabbed two soldiers in 2023 sentenced to 36 years in prison

Court says Muhammad Awadeh of the West Bank town of Dura confessed to the attack without a trial

The Lod District Court on Thursday sentenced Muhammad Awadeh, a Palestinian man from the West Bank town of Dura near Hebron, to 36 years in prison, for stabbing and attempting to kill two soldiers in April 2023.

Awadeh confessed to the crime, the court said, without going through a trial. He did not have a previous criminal record.

He entered Israel on March 31, 2023, without an entry permit, armed with a 30-centimeter (12-inch) knife. After staying at his father’s house in Jaffa for a few days, Awadeh, then 22, boarded a bus on April 4 and got off at the Nir Tzvi junction after spotting soldiers.

“He removed the knife from his jacket and stabbed one of the soldiers in the neck. Immediately thereafter, he stabbed the other soldier in the back. After that, he returned to the first soldier and, as [the soldier] was lying on the ground, he stabbed him many times, in all parts of his body, including his head and chest, until the knife broke,” according to the court.

It adds that Awadeh tried, but failed, to take a soldier’s weapon, and that civilians then subdued the assailant.

Awadeh was charged with a terror act of attempted murder, a terror act of grievous bodily harm under aggravated circumstances, illegal possession of a knife, and illegal entry into Israel.

Police at the scene of a suspected terror attack in Tzrifin, where two soldiers were injured, April 4, 2023 (Avshalom Sassoni/FLASH90)

“The soldier who testified at the sentencing hearing was an outstanding athlete prior to the attack, and today he has trouble moving, and is dealing with emotional difficulties and suffers from a disability,” the court noted.

“The other soldier, too, testified that he suffers today from pains and physical limitations, in addition to coping with post-traumatic stress disorder, and despite this he continues to serve in reserve duty,” it said.

The scene of a stabbing attack near Tzrifin on April 4, 2023. (Magen David Adom)

While there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack from a terror group, the stabbing was welcomed by Hamas, which tied it to expected attempts by Jewish extremists to sacrifice an animal at the flashpoint Temple Mount holy site in Jerusalem ahead of the Passover holiday that year.

“Israel and the settlers will remain in a state of fear and lack of security,” the terror group said.