JERUSALEM, Jan 1 (NNN-PNA) – A Palestinian man was shot dead, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank yesterday, after allegedly attempting to carry out a stabbing attack, the Israeli military said.
The incident took place near a military post, at the Gitai Avisar Junction, outside the Jewish settlement of Ariel, in the northern West Bank, according to a statement by the Israeli Defence Forces.
No injuries were reported in the alleged attempted attack.
The IDF released a photo of a large kitchen knife and identified it as the suspect’s weapon.
According to the statement, the suspect stepped out of a vehicle, armed with the knife, and ran towards a bus station where civilians and soldiers were standing.
“The troops fired towards the assailant and neutralised him,” the statement read.
After the incident, the Israeli troops blocked off a number of routes and were “pursuing the vehicle and additional suspects,” according to the statement.
The incident was the most recent in a renewed wave of “lone wolf” attacks, in which individual Palestinians, not affiliated with any organisations, carried out stabbing, car-ramming and shooting attacks in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
The West Bank has been under Israeli control since its capture in the 1967 Middle East war, despite international criticism. The Palestinians wish to build their future state in this territory.– NNN-PNA
