BICOM

Three Israelis were injured in a knife attack by a Palestinian in the central Israeli city of Ra’anana on Saturday. It was the most serious in a series of attacks on Israelis over the weekend.

The incident began at around 3.30pm, when the attacker, a Palestinian in his 20s from near Nablus in the West Bank, stabbed a couple in their forties near Mordechai Anielewicz Street. The man was taken to a nearby hospital with serious injuries. A woman in her 60s was then lightly wounded not far away. The attacker attempted to gain entry to at least one residential home, but was fought back by residents. One report said that he attempted to enter a synagogue, but was repelled by worshippers. After a chase, security forces apprehended the man and subdued him without opening fire.

It was the third time that Ra’anana has been a target for knife attacks during the current wave of violence, with several injured in two stabbings there on 13 October. In total, at least 21 Israelis have been killed since the start of October, mainly through knife and vehicle attacks.

Meanwhile, yesterday at a checkpoint in the West Bank city of Hebron, a Palestinian woman attempted to stab an infantry soldier. She was shot and wounded by troops at the scene. Clashes between the IDF and locals took place in Hebron after the incident and two Palestinians were reportedly wounded by rubber bullets. On Saturday night, Palestinians opened fire twice at Israeli troops in Kalandiya, north of Jerusalem.

On Friday, at the Kalandiya checkpoint, a Palestinian man attempted to ram his car into Israeli soldiers. However, he ran into a concrete pillar before exiting the vehicle and running towards the troops, who shot and wounded him. In a similar incident on Friday, a Palestinian drove at high speed at IDF troops and border policeman near Silwad in the West Bank, who had been sent to calm unrest. The assailant was shot and killed.