Palestinians, Israeli injured in violence in east Jerusalem

Two Palestinians were seriously injured and one Israeli guard was moderately wounded in two attacks that took place almost simultaneously in Jerusalem on Tuesday, the Israeli police said.

The first attack occurred at the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Pisgat Ze'ev, when two 13 year-olds stabbed an Israeli guard in his upper torso at a Jerusalem light rail station, wounding him moderately.

The guard managed to shoot at one of the perpetrators, wounding him seriously, while bystanders detained the other attacker until police arrived.

Several minutes after this attack, a Palestinian man was shot after allegedly trying to stab two Israeli guards near the Nablus Gate, at the entrance to the Old City of Jerusalem.

The alleged attacker, a resident from the east Jerusalem Palestinian neighborhood of Issawiya, was critically wounded. No Israelis were reportedly injured in the attack, police said.

The current wave of weeks-long violence between Israelis and Palestinians was sparked following the controversy over the al-Aqsa compound in east Jerusalem, which is holy to both Jews and Muslims.

The tensions quickly escalated into violent attacks and clashes between Israelis and Palestinians throughout Israel and in the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza Strip territories.

Twelve Israelis have been killed in lone-wolf attacks by Palestinians in the form of stabbing, shooting and vehicular attacks since the beginning of October.

According to the Palestinian health ministry, 79 Palestinians have died, some in clashes with security forces during protests, while others were gunned down by security forces and vigilante citizens after allegedly trying to carry out attacks against Israelis. Endit