BICOM

A 19-year-old Israeli soldier was seriously wounded yesterday after being stabbed near the West Bank city of Hebron, which has been the scene of numerous knife attacks against Israelis during the last week.

The incident took place at the Beit Einun junction just outside Hebron. 22-year-old Palestinian Raed Jaradat stabbed the soldier multiple times in the upper body, including in the neck. However, media reports say that the victim was still able to open fire and shoot dead his attacker. Paramedics said that when they arrived on the scene, the soldier was still conscious but later underwent a life-saving operation at a Jerusalem hospital.

Rioting then ensued in the nearby village of Sa’ir, which saw around 150 locals clash with the IDF. Palestinian reports say that Jaradat’s cousin, Lyad Jaradat was killed in the violence. However, the IDF said they knew nothing of the fatality and that soldiers had responded to rock throwing with tear gas and rubber bullets.

Later in the day, 20-year-old Palestinian Sa’ad Al-Atrash attempted to stab Israeli soldiers at a checkpoint in Hebron, near the Tomb of the Patriarchs, a site which is holy to both Muslims and Jews. Al-Atrash pulled out a knife and attempted to stab a soldier. The Walla news site says that the target of the attack was uninjured thanks to the protection of a ceramic vest. Al-Atrash was shot and killed at the scene.

Yesterday’s incidents were just the latest in a wave of violent attacks which have seen eleven Israelis killed since 1 October. During the last week in particular, Hebron and its nearby villages have become a focus for the violence. Several knife attacks have taken place in the area, including one on Sunday, in which a 17-year-old Palestinian female attempted to stab Israeli border police officers at the Tomb of the Patriarchs. When asked for her identification, she reportedly pulled out a knife and lunged at the officers, who shot and killed her.