Soldier, cop lightly injured in suspected car-ramming and attempted stabbing
Assailant shot after driving his car into the servicemembers and running at them with a knife at Tapuah Junction in northern West Bank
Judah Ari Gross is The Times of Israel's religions and Diaspora affairs correspondent.
An Israeli soldier and police officer were lightly wounded in a suspected car-ramming attack in the northern West Bank on Wednesday, Israeli officials said.
According to the Israel Defense Forces, the suspect hit the police officer and soldier with his car, and then exited the vehicle and ran at them with a knife before he was shot by the injured police officer at the scene.
Security camera footage (above) from the scene showed the silver sedan used in the attack cutting across a lane of traffic, weaving between two parked cars and striking the troops at a bus stop near the junction.
The servicemembers were stationed at the Tapuah Junction, south of Nablus, and were handing out a traffic ticket when “a car that was traveling in their direction ran them over,” police said.
“He then stopped the car, got out of the vehicle and ran at them with a knife drawn,” police said. Due to the quality of the footage, that could not be confirmed from the video. A pocket knife was recovered at the scene.
The driver was shot and moderately injured by the officer, the military said.
The suspect was identified by the Gaza-based Prisoner Media Office as Muhammad Jabr Khdeir, from the village of Bita next to Nablus.
The Tapuah Junction, south of Nablus, has seen many attacks on Israeli troops over the years.
Magen David Adom said it was treating the two servicemembers — aged 23 and 20 — who were both fully conscious and sustained minor injuries. They were taken to Petah Tikva’s Beilinson Medical Center for further care.
Defense Minister Benny Gantz wished the injured soldier and police officer a speedy recovery.
“I wish full health for the IDF soldier and police officer injured this morning in an attack. We will not allow terrorism to raise its head, and we will fight assailants and those who send them. The IDF and security forces will continue to be prepared on all fronts,” Gantz said in a statement.
Aaron Boxerman contributed to this report.
