An Israeli farmer in the southern Hebron hills was stabbed by a knife wielding Palestinian.
By Jonathan Hessen and Erin Viner
The 29-year-old man victim sustained moderate injuries to his upper torso and was evacuated hospitalized to the Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba in stable condition after receiving on site medical care.
The attack occurred on a ranch in the Jewish community of Shi’ma, in Area C of the West Bank, where the victim resides with his family.
The IDF confirmed that “the terrorist was neutralized at the scene,” while local media reported it was either the victim himself or an electrician employed at the ranch who managed to fatally shoot the assailant.
Sources familiar with the details of the attack identified the Palestinian terrorist as an 18-year-old resident of Dahariya.
In related developments, the West Bank districts of Judea and Samaria were struck by two drive-by shooting attacks from vehicles bearing Palestinian license plates at separate locations. The gunmen fired at IDF posts before managing to flee the scenes in both incidents. No injuries were reported and the IDF announced respective manhunts after those responsible.
In ongoing counter-terrorism activity as part of Operation Waves Breaker, IDF, Israel Security Agency (ISA, Shin Bet) and Border Police Special Units conducted extensive raids in Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley overnight. 17 suspected terrorists were apprehended last night, with 16 others nabbed overnight Tuesday.
This morning, the Border Police Counter-terrorism Yamam Unit launched a daring joint-operation with the ISA and IDF in Nablus. Five suspects were captured, including a senior member of the Lion’s Den terror group believed responsible for a number of recent shooting attacks against Israeli civilians and security forces in the northern Samaria region.
In in the West bank town of Qalqilya, three terror operatives suspected of firebomb attacks on a Border Police base were apprehended following extensive Israeli intelligence-gathering efforts. The detainees were transferred to the ISA for further questioning.
A general strike was declared in Qalandia north of Jerusalem today, after Palestinian officials said a 41-year-old resident was shot dead in overnight raids. While the IDF did not confirm the death, it said troops “responded with riot dispersal means and live ammunition” after coming under attack by locals who “hurled rocks and blocks from the rooftops aiming at soldiers operating beneath, risking their lives.”