IDF soldier lightly hurt in Hebron stabbing; teen assailants killed

Attackers shot dead by victim’s comrade; Border Policeman suffers minor injuries as firebombs hurled at IDF post near Bethlehem

Illustrative photo of a Palestinian throwing a Molotov cocktail at Israeli forces at the entrance to the Shuafat refugee camp on November 05, 2014. (Hadas Parush/FLASH90)
Illustrative photo of a Palestinian throwing a Molotov cocktail at Israeli forces at the entrance to the Shuafat refugee camp on November 05, 2014. (Hadas Parush/FLASH90)

An IDF soldier was lightly wounded in a stabbing attack Tuesday night in the West Bank city of Hebron. His two Palestinian attackers were shot dead by a fellow soldier who was with him at the time of the attack.

The Walla website named the two attackers as 15-year-old Bashar al-Nidal Jabari and 17-year-old Hussam Ismail Jabari.

An IDF spokesperson confirmed that a soldier had sustained light injuries from a stab wound to the head while on guard duty near a Jewish-owned apartment complex in the heart of the city.

Following the attack, dozens of burning tires were hurled at the southern entrance of Kiryat Arba, a Jewish settlement outside Hebron.

The attack comes after another day of violent attacks on Israelis in the West Bank. An Israeli from Kiryat Arba was hit by a truck and killed Tuesday afternoon as he inspected damage to his own vehicle from Palestinian rock throwers, and a short time later, a soldier and a civilian were lightly hurt when a car rammed into them close to the Gush Etzion settlement bloc south of Jerusalem.

In a separate incident Tuesday night, IDF troops came under fire at the West Bank settlement of Dolev, Walla reported. The soldiers fired warning shots into the air in response, and were checking the source of the gunfire. There were no injuries.

Earlier on Tuesday, Molotov cocktails and a pipe bomb were hurled at an IDF position in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, as close to 400 Palestinians clashed with Israeli army forces near the site of Rachel’s Tomb.

A Border Police officer was lightly injured at the site after Palestinians hurled a Molotov cocktail at him, the Walla news site reported.

In the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Isawiyah, a Palestinian was shot in the leg when advancing toward a Border Police post while holding a Molotov cocktail, the Ynet news site reported. The Palestinian was rushed away from the scene by a medical team; his condition was not immediately clear.

At least nine Palestinians protesters were reported injured in clashes across the West Bank, according to the Palestinian Ma’an News Agency.

Also Tuesday, the IDF said that Israeli security forces identified terrorists in Gaza preparing to fire at Israeli forces carrying out defensive activities near the southern part of Strip. The IDF said the soldiers fired at the snipers and hits were confirmed.

There were no immediate reports of casualties on the Palestinian side.

Last week Israeli forces conducting repair work on the border came under fire from Gaza snipers, and earlier this month an IDF vehicle was fired upon by snipers as well.

Tuesday saw a series of terrorist attacks in the West Bank after a day of rare respite from several weeks of almost daily shooting and stabbing attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers.

Two Israelis, a civilian and a soldier, were lightly wounded Tuesday in an apparent car-ramming terror attack at a bus stop in the Gush Etzion region of the West Bank, south of Jerusalem. The Palestinian driver who hit the two men was shot and killed by security forces. His vehicle carried an Israeli license plate, and a knife was found in his possession, the Ynet news site reported.

Government Coordinator in the Territories Brigadier general Yoav Mordechai (L) speaks with Oded Ravivi, head council of Efrat, during a tour expanding the settlement of Efrat in Gush Etzion on January 25, 2015. (Gershon Elinson/Flash90)
Government Coordinator in the Territories Brigadier general Yoav Mordechai (L) speaks with Oded Ravivi, head council of Efrat, during a tour expanding the settlement of Efrat in Gush Etzion on January 25, 2015. (Gershon Elinson/Flash90)

Earlier, an Israeli civilian was killed near the West Bank city of Hebron after he was hit by a truck as he inspected the damage to his own car from rocks thrown by Palestinians. MDA paramedics attempted to resuscitate the man, named as 54-year-old Kiryat Arba resident Avraham Hasano, but he died at the scene. It was not clear if the second vehicle was deliberately driven into him.

The driver who hit Hasano turned himself in to the Palestinian security forces in the area shortly afterward. He said he had hit the man by accident and fled the scene out of fear, Army Radio reported.

Channel 1 reported that Palestinian rioters attacked Israeli forces and medics as they tried to attend to the victim.

Earlier in the day, an IDF army officer sustained light injuries after being stabbed by a Palestinian man in the southern West Bank.

The stabber was shot and killed during the attack, amid what the army said a “violent riot” in the village of Beit Awwa in the Hebron Hills region.

The scene where an Israeli man was killed after being run over by a truck driven by a Palestinian, near the West Bank city of Hebron, October 20, 2015. It was not initially clear if the collision was deliberate or not. (Arutz Sheva TV)
The scene where an Israeli man was killed after being run over by a truck driven by a Palestinian, near the West Bank city of Hebron, October 20, 2015. It was not initially clear if the collision was deliberate or not. (Arutz Sheva TV)

MDA paramedics treated the injured soldier at the scene for a hand wound. The officer, a company commander in the Givati infantry brigade, was expected to be taken to the hospital for further medical treatment.

The Palestinian Authority Health Ministry identified the stabber as Adi Hashem al Masalmeh, 24, from Beit Awwa.

According to a report by Channel 10 Tuesday, if the current wave of violence did not die down by the end of the year, the army would consider calling up reservist soldiers in order to assist in calming tensions. However, the news site did not quote a source for its report.

The current outbreak of violence was fueled by rumors that Israel was plotting to destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque and take over the Temple Mount, the holiest site to Jews and the third holiest one to Muslims.

Israel has adamantly denied the allegations, saying there are no plans to change the status quo between Muslim worshipers and Jewish visitors to the site, and has accused the Palestinians of incitement. Jews can currently visit the religious holy site but are not allowed to pray there.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

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