Palestinian attempts to run over, stab soldiers in West Bank, army says

A Palestinian man attempted late Friday night to run over IDF troops with his vehicle at a checkpoint near the settlement of Ofra in the central West Bank, north of Jerusalem, the army said.

Soldiers fired at the vehicle, and after it halted, the suspect, a man in his thirties, get out with a knife in his hand and charged at the soldiers. The soldiers opened fire and seriously injured him, Channel 2 reported.

No IDF soldiers or Israeli civilians were wounded in the apparent attack, according to the report.

The assailant was taken to the Hadassah Hospital Mount Scopus in Jerusalem for treatment.

The knife used by a suspected terrorist near the settlement of Ofra in the central West Bank, October 29, 2016 (Police/Mako)

Earlier Friday, a 23-year-old Palestinian was arrested in Hebron near the Tomb of the Patriarchs after being caught with a knife, and told security officials he had intended to carry out a stabbing attack.

The man was taken in for questioning after security forces at a checkpoint, who suspected his behavior, searched him and found the knife on his person. He told border police officers he had wanted to execute an attack.

In a statement Border Police said officers’ alertness “may have prevented a stabbing attack against them or against worshipers.”

Earlier IDF troops in the West Bank’s Etzion settlement bloc fired at a Palestinian after he hurled rocks at a military vehicle, the army said.

The attacker was apparently unharmed. He escaped and soldiers were searching the area for him.

The army said soldiers first fired warning shots as they attempted to apprehend the suspect, then fired towards him when he failed to comply.

Also Friday, in East Jerusalem a border police force was accosted by several local residents, according to Ynet News. The incident ended without any casualties.