Palestinian shot dead after infiltrating West Bank settlement with knife – IDF

Tekoa security officer opens fire after armed suspect enters community, approaches his home; no Israelis hurt in incident; Hamas claims Muatasem Atallah, 17, as terror group member

By Emanuel Fabian
and Aaron Boxerman 8 May 2022, 10:08 pmUpdated at 11:52 pm Edit
A knife found on a Palestinian who infiltrated the Tekoa settlement on May 8, 2022. (courtesy, Rescuers Without Borders)
A knife found on a Palestinian who infiltrated the Tekoa settlement on May 8, 2022. (courtesy, Rescuers Without Borders)

A Palestinian armed with a knife was shot dead after apparently infiltrating the West Bank settlement of Tekoa on Sunday night.

The suspect was shot by a security officer at the entrance to his home, near the community’s perimeter fence.

Large military forces were scanning the area for other possible suspects, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

“IDF forces were rushed to the scene and are now searching for more suspects in the area,” the military said in a statement.

Sirens resounded in the settlement and residents were told to lock their doors. The Rescuers Without Borders emergency service said there were no other injuries in the incident.

The incident came shortly after a Palestinian man — who had illegally entered Israel — stabbed a police officer in the neck at Jerusalem’s Damascus Gate.

The Palestinian Authority Health Ministry identified the dead Palestinian as 17-year-old Muatasem Mohammad Taleb Atallah. According to the ministry, Atallah was from Harmala, a small village adjacent to Tekoa.

Atallah was later claimed by Hamas as a member, although the terror group did not explicitly it had ordered him to commit an attack.

Tensions have risen sharply between Israel and the Palestinians in recent months, against a backdrop of repeated terror attacks in Israel and the West Bank that have left 19 dead since March 22.

The Israeli army stepped up its West Bank activities in an attempt to crack down on the spiraling violence. The ensuing raids sparked clashes that left at least 27 Palestinians dead since mid-March. Many of those took part in the clashes, while others appeared to have been civilians.

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