BICOM

Two Israelis were killed and one other seriously wounded in a stabbing at the Jaffa Gate of Jerusalem’s Old City yesterday afternoon.

Two Palestinian men attacked two Israeli civilians at the Jaffa Gate, which is the Western entrance to the Old City, adjacent to the city’s modern commercial centre, close to the Arab Shuk (market), a popular site for tourists. Two female Border Police officers who were on duty quickly arrived at the scene and opened fire, neutralising the two assailants. One died at the scene and the other later succumbed to his wounds. They were named as 20-year-old Anaan Hamad and 19-year-old Issa Asaf, both from Kalandiya just north of Jerusalem. Asaf served time in an Israeli prison this year for terror offences, while Hamad was arrested in 2010 while brandishing a knife at a check point.

Police spokesman, Chief Superintendent Asi Aharoni praised the swift actions of the Border Police officers, saying “They understood immediately that an attack was occurring and they bravely ran to the site… and prevented more innocent people from getting hurt.”

The three injured Israelis were taken to hospitals in Jerusalem. 45-year-old Rabbi Reuven Biermacher sustained fatal stab wounds, while 46-year-old Ofer Ben-Ari died having thought to have suffered gunshot wounds, most likely in the crossfire from one of the Border Police officers. Another person remains seriously injured.

This morning a Palestinian stabbed and injured two security guards at the industrial area near the West Bank settlement of Ariel. One of the victims was severely injured. The assailant was shot and died at the scene. Shortly thereafter, a Palestinian was shot and killed after he attempted to stab IDF soldiers with a screwdriver at a checkpoint in the Hebron area. No troops were injured in this incident.

Yesterday’s attack was the latest in the current wave of violence, which has seen at least 23 Israelis killed by Palestinians since the start of October. Most have been the result of knife and vehicle attacks. On Sunday, a Palestinian woman attempted to stab soldiers in the West Bank city of Hebron, but was shot by troops on the scene. Meanwhile, on Saturday afternoon a Palestinian man from the West Bank injured three people, one seriously during a stabbing spree in the central Israeli city of Ra’anana. The assailant attempted to enter residential homes and a synagogue, but was prevented from doing so by local residents.