A stabbing attack injured one Border Police officer at the entrance of the Tomb of the Patriarchs holy site in Hebron before the attacker was neutralized by security forces on Sunday evening, Israel Border Police confirmed.
The attacker approached a Border Police checkpoint and stabbed one of the officers stationed there.
Not long after, a Jewish resident of Israel tried to grab a gun from a soldier in Ashkelon, and an IDF officer in the area shot him. The man had, according to N12, fled from a psychiatric ward.
The man emerged from a vehicle, which contained a total of four people. According to testimonies, the individuals escaped in their vehicle, and one of them may be armed. The police are currently conducting a search on land and in the air (via helicopter) for the vehicle.
No other injuries were reported.
In response to the incident, the mayor released a statement.
"A few hours ago, we received a report about an attempt to steal a gun from a soldier at an interchange in Ashkelon," said Mayor Tomer Glam. "The initial suspicion was that the man in question was a terrorist who was shot dead at the scene.
"A short while ago, it became clear that it was in fact a Jewish citizen who carried out the act, and the possibility that he was mentally unstable was looked into.
"There's no doubt that the wave of terror we find ourselves in puts us all in a stressed position. I call to everyone to be aware and in any case of suspicion, to immediately report it to the police.
"Ashkelon Municipality continues to reinforce the security forces."
Earlier in the morning, an unarmed Palestinian woman was shot and killed by IDF troops in the West Bank town of Husan, near the city of Bethlehem.
Identified by the Palestinian Ministry of Health as 47-year-old Ghada Ibrahim Ali al-Sabiteen, the IDF said she was shot by forces after she approached them in a suspicious manner and refused to stop.
“The force opened fire on her as part of a suspect arrest procedure that included firing into the air. After she did not stop, the soldiers fired at her lower body,” the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.
She received medical treatment at the scene before being evacuated to the hospital in Beit Jala. The Palestinian Health Ministry said she suffered from a bullet wound to her thigh and died due to loss of blood.
According to reports, al-Sabiteen was a widow and mother to seven.
In response to her death, Hamas released a statement calling for an escalation "of the resistance to deter the occupation and stop its crimes".
Tensions have risen in Israel in recent weeks due to a spate of terror attacks that have killed 14 Israelis and wounded dozens more. The IDF and other security bodies have been placed on high alert in order to thwart future attacks.