Off the wire
• Cuba, Venezuela update long-term cooperation plan  • Urgent: Explosion hits central Istanbul, casualties reported  • Roundup: Brazil's Supreme Court suspends former president's cabinet post  • Top news items in Ethiopia's major media outlets  • Feature: Tanzania in new drive to save sea turtles from extinction  • Commentary: U.S. role in Asia-Pacific should be constructive, not hegemonic  • Top news of S. African major news outlets  • Roundup: Brazil's Lula leads protest against Rousseff impeachment  • FlyDubai CEO offers condolences to Russia crash victims  • NBA results  
You are here: 　 Home

Palestinian assailant killed amid West Bank stabbing attack

Xinhua, March 19, 2016 Adjust font size:

A Palestinian was shot and killed on Saturday morning after allegedly trying to stab an Israeli policeman in the West Bank's Hebron on Saturday morning, the Israeli police said.

A 17-year-old Palestinian arrived at a roadblock in Hebron, near the major holy site known to Muslims as the site of the Sanctuary of Abraham and to Jews as the Cave of Patriarchs, where he was asked to show his ID, police spokeswoman Luba Samri said in a statement.

After presenting documentation, he allegedly pulled out a knife and started stabbing one of the policemen, according to the police.

The policeman managed to push back the Palestinian, and after the Palestinian had tried allegedly to stab him again, he was shot and killed by forces at the scene, according to Samri. The policeman was evacuated to the Shaare Zedek hospital in Jerusalem in light condition.

This is the latest in a wave of unrest that has claimed the lives of 28 Israelis and car-ramming, stabbing and shooting attacks, and more than 180 Palestinians, killed in clashes during protests with Israeli security forces or after allegedly carrying out attacks against Israelis.

On Friday, a Palestinian was killed in one of two attempted attacks in the West Bank. According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson, the assailant, armed with a knife, tried to stab soldiers at the Gush Etzion Junction, south of Jerusalem in the West Bank. He was also shot and killed by Israeli soldiers.

A day earlier, on Thursday, a 20-year-old Israeli female soldier was stabbed and wounded in moderate condition in a stabbing attack at the Ariel Junction in the central West Bank. The two assailants that allegedly stabbed her were shot and killed by Israeli soldiers.

Israeli leaders blame the Palestinian Authority for "incitement to violence" amid the wave of violence which started in October, whereas the Palestinians charge it is the result of 49 years of Israeli occupation of the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza Strip, where they wish to establish a Palestinian state. Endit