Palestinian Attempts To Stab IDF Soldier, Attack Thwarted
01/31/2021
A Palestinian man was shot dead while attempting to stab an Israeli soldier with a makeshift spear at the Gush Etzion Junction in the southern West Bank on Sunday morning, the Israel Defense Forces said.
No Israelis were injured in the incident, Gush Etzion regional council head Shlomo Ne’eman said.
In security camera footage from the scene, the assailant could be seen approaching a bus stop that the soldier was guarding. When he was still several feet away, he took out a weapon and apparently alerted the serviceman to his presence. The soldier, who was armed with a rifle, then turned and shot the would-be stabber.
An IDF spokesperson confirmed that the assailant was pronounced dead shortly thereafter.
The weapon was recovered from the scene. It was made up of three knives taped to a broken broomstick, the IDF said.
“I stood at my post at the northern bus stop at the Gush Etzion Junction in order to protect the citizens that were there. I saw the suspect walk along the road and then he suddenly ran at me and the civilians at the scene. I saw that he took out a knife and I shot and neutralized the assailant,” said the soldier, who was only identified by his rank and first Hebrew initial of his name, Cpl. “Ayin.”
“We stay at the ready at all times in order to prevent incidents like this,” said Ayin, who serves in the Nachshon Battalion of the IDF’s Kfir Brigade.
Read More: Times of Israel