Israeli officer stabbed after weekend of West Bank violence leaves four dead

A Palestinian was shot after he stabbed an Israeli army officer in the chest near a West Bank settlement on Sunday. The attacker had tried to infiltrate the settlement of Efrat and a manhunt was underway before he pounced on the officer and stabbed him. The soldier, 30, was not thought to be seriously hurt but his attacker, named as Baha a-Din Muhammad Khalil, was in moderate condition in hospital with a gun shot wound to his head. The incident followed a weekend surge in Palestinian attacks that shattered weeks of relative calm. Four Palestinians were shot dead after carrying out attacks on Israelis over the weekend.

The terrorist was hiding in some bushes jumped out and stabbed the officer. Several knives were discovered on the terrorist’s body.

Efrat resident

The Palestinian assaults began a year ago and for months included near-daily stabbing attacks against soldiers and settlers. They left 34 Israelis and two Americans dead but about 214 Palestinians, most said to be assailants, killed during the same period. But in recent months they have slowed to a trickle. On Friday, however, two Palestinians rammed a car into a bus stop used by Israelis near the adjacent Kiryat Arba settlement before troops killed one of the assailants. After the latest outbreak of violence, the Israeli military sent additional troops to a flashpoint West Bank area on Saturday.

Middle East