IDF: Attempted stabbing attack against soldier thwarted in Nablus
The military has opened an investigation into the event.
By JPOST.COM STAFF, REUTERSUpdated: JUNE 10, 2016 18:58Attempted stabbing at Hawara checkpoint near Nablus, December 17, 2015.(photo credit: DORON MAH TOV/ MIDABRIM BATIKSHORET)
A suspected terrorist was shot and critically wounded following an attempted stabbing attack against an Israeli soldier at a checkpoint near the West Bank city of Nablus, the IDF said in a statement Friday. According to the IDF, the assailant approached military forces stationed at a checkpoint near the village of Beit Furik, south of Nablus, where he pulled out a knife and attempted to stab one of the soldiers positioned in the area. IDF forces quickly responded by shooting the attacker, abating his ability to commit any further harm.The attacker was reportedly in critical condition following the shooting and was evacuated to the Rabin Medical Center-Beilinson in Petah Tikva, according to The Jerusalem Post's sister publication Ma'ariv.The military said that no soldiers were harmed in the event, adding they have opened an investigation.The incident comes on the heels of a deadly terror attack in Tel Aviv earlier in the week in which four people were killed while patronizing a popular outdoor shopping center. At least six others were wounded in the shooting attack.On Wednesday, two terrorists opened fire on Israeli civilians visiting the Sarona Market outdoor shopping center, located near the Kirya, the Defense Ministry's Tel Aviv headquarters.The assailants came from near Hebron, in the West Bank. They dressed in suits and ties and posed as customers at a restaurant, ordering a drink and a chocolate brownie before pulling out automatic weapons and opening fire, sending diners fleeing in panic.Two women and two men were killed in the deadly incident.There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the assault by the two gunmen, but Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups were quick to praise it.
The attack followed a lull in recent weeks after what had been near-daily stabbings and shootings on Israeli streets. It was the deadliest single incident since an attack on a Jerusalem synagogue in November 2014 that killed five.