A 25 year-old Israeli woman has been stabbed to death at a bus stop in the West Bank, local media report. While in a separate incident an IDF soldier was fatally wounded by a suspected Palestinian terrorist.
The first incident happened at the Alon Shvut junction in the Gush Etzion area of the West Bank, as a car pulled up to the side of the road, with the driver getting out a stabbing three people in total. The Jerusalem Post report that a guard, who was positioned at the entrance to the settlement, shot the perpetrator, who eventually died from his injuries.
Pic from scene of stabbing attack outside Alon Shvut #Israelpic.twitter.com/UENG6M3gqB
— Ben Hartman (@Benhartman) November 10, 2014
The Israeli Defense Forces have sealed off the area as they look for any potential suspects. The two other victims, a 26 year-old man, who received a stab wound to the stomach and a 50 year-old women who has a light stab wound to the face have both been taken to hospital.
Today is a sad day. One #Israeli killed & 3 injured in stabbing attacks. The atmosphere of violence rides the wave of Palestinian incitement
— Peter Lerner (@LTCPeterLerner) November 10, 2014
The incident occurred a short distance away from the bus stop where three teenagers — Eyal Yifrah, Naftali Fraenkel and Gil-Ad Shaer — were kidnapped and then killed in June.
Earlier in the day, a
young man was stabbed by a Palestinian at a train station in Tel
Aviv in a suspected terrorist. The army confirmed the victim is
an Israeli Defense Forces soldier. He was taken to hospital where he died
of serious wounds.
Police managed to arrest the assailant, who suffered light injuries in a struggle with law enforcement officers. The incident took place at Haganah train station in central Tel Aviv. The victim, believed to be about 20 years old, was taken to the Sheba Medical Center.
"The victim was seriously wounded and transferred to hospital for treatment. The suspect in the attack, a resident of Nablus, escaped from the scene and was detained by members of the police anti-terror unit hiding in a nearby building. A large police force is on the scene,"according tothe Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
BREAKING PHOTO: IDF Soldier stabbed by Arab terrorist moments ago at Tel Aviv train station, in serious condition. pic.twitter.com/N0aKtHUhl2
— Israel News Feed (@IsraelHatzolah) November 10, 2014
The victim was an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) soldier, according to the Times of Israel newspaper, while Channel 2 claims that young man received a stab wound to the leg.
"A young man of about 20 lay in the road adjacent to the Haganah train station," said senior Magen David paramedic Moshe Amir, who arrived early on the scene. "He was unconscious, had no pulse and was not breathing. There was a huge crowd at the scene."
"We started giving him emergency treatment, including resuscitation, until an ambulance arrived and he was taken to hospital in critical condition," Amir added, which was reported by Haaretz.
CONFIRMED: An #IDF soldier was stabbed at the HaHagana train station in Tel-Aviv by a #Palestinian suspect who was apprehended on the spot
— IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) November 10, 2014
"I saw the terrorist, in a red shirt and jeans, running in the direction of Levanda Street ... I chased him, and came back and saw the soldier writhing on the ground," a witness said on Israel Radio, which was reported by Reuters. The Jerusalem Post stated that the attacker was an 18 year-old from Nablus in the West Bank, whom police say entered Israel illegally. He is currently being held in custody.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was speaking after the Tel Aviv assault said, "terror ... is being directed at all parts of the country for a simple reason: the terrorists, the inciters, want to drive us from everywhere."
"As far as they are concerned, we should not be in Jeruslaem, Tel Avivor anywhere. I can promise you one thing - they will not succeed. We will continue to fight terror ... and we will defeat it together," he said, which was reported by Reuters.
Police arrest a suspect in Tel Aviv terror attack, a Palestinian from Nablus http://t.co/Iy7WBmDWecpic.twitter.com/XSAXS6R7Uq
— Haaretz.com (@haaretzcom) November 10, 2014
Hamas spokesman Husam Badran spoke out in support for the stabbing attacks and said they were in response to the killing of an Israeli-Arab man in the town of Kafr Kanna over the weekend.
“We are talking about a swift response to the execution of the young man from Kafr Kanna by the Israeli police and with the encouragement of the political leadership,” Ynet quoted Badran as saying. “The attack is part of a welcome plan that reflects the tenacity of our people to resist the occupation and move against the crimes [committed] in al-Aqsa and in Jerusalem.”
Meanwhile, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu increased security measures across the country to fight against terrorism, after holding a meeting with top security officials in his residence late on Monday.
Some of the measures approved were expanding security forces and destroying known terrorists’ homes, Haaretz reported.
Earlier, Israel’s Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch called for the destruction of homes belonging to terrorists. “Anyone who attacks police or civilians, his home should be demolished,” Aharonovitch said. “A terrorist who attacks civilians deserves to be killed.”
At the same time, Economy Minister Naftali Bennett, put the blame on the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. “Mahmoud Abbas is the driver of the death-car in Jerusalem, and the terrorists are just his messengers,” Bennett said. “Israel needs to say clearly that the Hamas-Fatah government is a ‘terror authority’ and it must be dealt with accordingly.”
BREAKING PHOTO: Knife used by terrorist stabbing IDF soldier moments ago in Tel Aviv, patient in critical condition. pic.twitter.com/g2JjBS8p0o
— Israel News Feed (@IsraelHatzolah) November 10, 2014
There have now been five attacks against Israeli civilians by Palestinians in the last few weeks, which has left three people dead. On November 5, one person was killed and 17 wounded in two separate incidents that involved Palestinian drivers slamming their vehicles into crowds of Israelis.
A truck with Palestinian number plates deliberately crashed into a group of Israeli soldiers, which injured three, as it tried to target a military checkpoint, according to the IDF. Meanwhile, another motorist slammed into pedestrians near the Jerusalem light rail, killing one Border Police officer and wounding 14 others.
On October 22, a three-month-old baby was killed and seven people were injured when a car deliberately crashed into a light rail station in Jerusalem as they were getting off a train.
SHOCKING: Billboard up in center of Nazareth calling to continue car run-over terror attacks as part of new campaign. pic.twitter.com/8m2SNwyuAq
— Israel News Feed (@IsraelHatzolah) November 9, 2014
The driver, who was identified as Ibrahim al-Akri, was shot by law enforcement officers as he got out of his car and began to attack civilians in the vicinity with an iron rod.
Tensions have been rising in Jerusalem after Israel blocked access to the Al-Aqsa mosque, which is Islam’s third holiest site.