One Israeli killed, two wounded in settlement infiltration
Three Israelis were stabbed after a Palestinian terrorist infiltrated the West Bank settlement of Adam, located just outside of Jerusalem.
By TOVAH LAZAROFF, GIL HOFFMANUpdated: JULY 27, 2018 13:28One of the victims of the stabbing attack are evacuated to Shaare Zedek Medical Center, July 26, 2018.(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
Yotam Ovadia, 31, a father of two small children died at the Hadassah Medical Center at Mt. Scopus after he was stabbed to death near his home in the West Bank settlement of Adam.His will be buried at 1 p.m. in Jerusalem’s Har HaMenuchot Cemetery.Two other Adam residents were stabbed after a Palestinian terrorist infiltrated Adam, located just outside of Jerusalem.One of the victims, 58, is receiving medical treatment at Jerusalem Hadassah Medical Center at Mt. Scopus.A third victim, 41, who was lightly injured was taken to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem and released on Friday morning.That man had come to the aid of the first two victims and was also stabbed, before he shot at the terrorist. Another witness also shot at him and a third witness knocked him over with his car.The terrorist, Mohammed Yusuf, 17, from the village of Kober, died at the scene.President Reuven Rivlin sent condolences to the bereaved family and prayers to the recovering victims.“We won’t let terror rear its ugly head,” Rivlin said.US special envoy Jason Greenblatt tweeted: “Yet another barbaric attack tonight. When will President Abbas and Palestinian leaders condemn the violence? Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families tonight.”
Adam residents were initially to stay in their homes, until security forces completed a search of the settlement of some 5,000 residents to ensure that no additional terrorists had entered the community.The community is located on the edge of Route 60, near one of the entry ways to the Palestinian city of Ramallah.Security plan to conduct an operational activity in the village of Kober, according to IDF spokesman Brig. General Ronen Manelis. The terrorist who infiltrated the Neveh Tzuf settlement last year and killed three members of the Salomon family also came from the Kober village.Military intelligence and the Shin Bet and are checking to see if there is any connection between the two attacks.Binyamin Regional Council deputy head Israel Ganz said that such a seriously incident can not pass in silence.He called on Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman to take action against terrorist infrastructures in the West Bank and to give final approval to a plan for 1,000 new housing units in the settlement.Liberman later tweeted that in response to the attack he had advanced approvals for 400 new units, that would receive final authorization at the next meeting of the Higher Planning Council.Hamas praised the attack in an official statement, saying “We praise the heroic action, which is a natural response to Israel’s crimes … this is a continuation of the Intifada.”Earlier in the day, Fathi Hamad, a hardline Hamas official, called on Muslims to kill Zionist Jews wherever they find them, in a speech at a funeral at the Great Omari Mosque in Gaza City.“O Muslims, wherever you find a Zionist Jew, you must kill him because that is an expression of your solidarity with the al-Aqsa Mosque and an expression of your solidarity with… your Jerusalem, your Palestine and… your people,” said Hamad, a member of the Hamas politburo.Intelligence Services Minister Israel Katz called upon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday to respond to the stabbing attack by passing legislation he sponsored that would enable the expulsion of terrorists' families."This is the time to permit the bill I initiated to advance and expel the families of terrorists as the most significant means of deterrence against the terror of individuals," Katz said.He also said Israel must immediately implement the law passed July 2 that permits the state to deduct the amount of money that the Palestinian Authority gives to terrorists and their families from the taxes and tariffs Israel collects for the authority.Anna Ahronheim contributed to this report.
