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Israeli casualties rise as violence continues

Xinhua, November 9, 2015 Adjust font size:

The number of Israeli casualties in a weeks-long wave of Israeli-Palestinian violence rose to 12 on Sunday, after a border guard injured last week succumbed to his wounds, the Israeli police said.

Benjamin Jacobowitz, a 19-year-old border police guard, was hit by a car in a run-over attack on Wednesday at the Halhul junction near Hebron in the West Bank.

He suffered critical injuries and succumbed to his wounds on Sunday at the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem, police spokeswoman Luba Samri said in a statement on Sunday evening.

The spokeswoman also said that he left behind his parents, a brother and two sisters, and that his family decided to donate his organs.

Three attacks took place on Sunday.

A 48-year-old Israeli man was seriously injured in a stabbing attack near the West Bank settlement of Alfei Menashe on Sunday afternoon, the Israeli police said.

The Hebrew-based Walla! news website reported that the attacker turned himself in to the Palestinian security services late Sunday evening.

Earlier on Sunday, a Palestinian woman stabbed an Israeli security guard near the Jewish settlement of Beitar Ilit, injuring him lightly, the Israeli police said. She was shot and critically wounded by Israeli security forces stationed at the scene.

Less than two hours prior to this attack, a run over attack at the Tapuach junction, south of Nablus in the West Bank, left two Israelis seriously wounded and two others lightly wounded. Security forces shot and killed the assailant at the scene.

The current wave of violence erupted in September amid strife over the al-Aqsa mosque compound in east Jerusalem, as Palestinians charged Israelis are attempting to take over the spot, holy to both Jews and Muslims, and change the status quo that only permits Muslims to pray there.

Since early October, 12 Israelis and 79 Palestinians have been killed across Israel and throughout the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem territories, as the violence spread amid dim prospects for renewing peace talks.

Israelis were killed in lone wolf attacks in the form of stabbing, vehicular and shooting attacks.

Some of the Palestinians also died in clashes with Israeli security forces in the West Bank, while others were shot dead after allegedly trying to carry out attacks against Israelis, with the Palestinians charging Israelis using excessive force to neutralize Palestinian attackers.

The Israeli and Palestinian leaders blame each other for responsibility over the outbreak of the recent wave of violence.

The last round of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians ended abruptly in April 2014 without results. Endit