Terrorist attacks in Israel dropped in August to lowest level since March 2015
August was first month with fewer than 100 attacks; number of incidents in Jerusalem down 50% since July
The number of terrorist attacks in Israel dropped to 93 in August — the lowest monthly tally since March 2015, and the first dip below the 100-incident mark since then.
The number of attacks in Jerusalem dropped to 13 in August, almost half of the 24 reported incidents in July, the Shin Bet domestic security service said in its latest monthly report published this week. Overall, the number of terrorist attacks in Israel fell by 8 percent in August, from the 101 incidents recorded in the previous month.
Seven Israelis were injured in the August attacks, including three victims of stabbing attacks and another two wounded by firebombs. The remaining victims were injured by an explosive device and stone-throwing. Three of the incidents involved mortars fired from the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, which did not result in any injuries. There were no fatalities from terrorist attacks in August.
On July 1, however, Rabbi Miki Mark was murdered in a terrorist attack in the West Bank settlement of Otniel, which also wounded three of his family members. The deadly attack came on the heels of the June 30 murder of 13-year-old Hallel Yaffa Ariel, who was stabbed to death in her own bed in the settlement of Kiryat Arba.
Attacks emanating from the West Bank and Gaza began to increase in August 2015, when 171 were documented, and rose sharply in September and October of that year, with 223 and 620 attacks recorded in those months, respectively. The overall number of attacks began a steady decrease in November 2015, when there were 326. The downturn continued in the following months, with 246 attacks in December, 169 in January, 155 in February and 123 in March.
On Oct. 9, two Israelis were killed and at least six injured when a Palestinian terrorist opened fire on a light rail stop in Jerusalem.
On Wednesday, a Palestinian child was killed in the southern Gaza Strip in an incident that a local medical source blamed on IDF troops, but which Israel said was not down to any action by its forces.
Abdullah Nasser Atwa Abu Mdeif was shot in the back by a bullet on Tuesday evening in the al-Qarrara area east of Khan Yunis, Gaza Ministry of Health spokesperson Ashraf al-Qidra told the Palestinian news agency Ma’an, adding his death was from army fire.
Yoav Mordechai, the IDF coordinator of government activities in the territories, wrote in a statement that the boy likely had died from a stray bullet shot during a wedding in the area.
Hundreds of Palestinians have died following the escalation in terrorist attacks last year, most killed while perpetrating terrorist attacks or in clashes with Israeli troops.
The Times of Israel Community.