Israeli police say 4 wounded in stabbing attack

A suspected terrorist stabbed and wounded four Israelis on Saturday evening in southern Israel, including a 13-year-old girl, before fleeing the scene, triggering a large manhunt, police said.

Doron Ben-Amo, a spokesman with the Police Southern District, said the incident appeared as a "terror attack," rather than criminal, and that "hundreds of police" are searching the city of Kiryat Gat to try to locate the suspect.

Police imposed a blockade on the city, closing all exits and entries while helicopters were sweeping the skies in search of the assailant.

Citizens joined the searches, some of them armed with personal weapons. Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said an Arab Bedouin was injured and needed hospital care after he was mistaken for the assailant and beaten by civilians.

Zaki Heller, a spokesman for the Israeli emergency services, said the injuries were in a moderate condition and included a 51-year-old man, 56 and 44-year-old women, and a 13-year-old teen.

The incident appeared to be the latest in a two-month wave of Israeli-Palestinian violence, triggered by tensions surrounding East Jerusalem's flashpoint al-Aqsa mosque compound. The unrest quickly spread throughout Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

More than 80 Palestinians and 17 Israel have died, some in clashes with Israeli forces while others were alleged attackers who were gunned down by security forces and vigilante citizens after trying to carry out attacks. Endit