Court hands down decades-long sentences in Jerusalem stabbing attack

The three Bethlehem attackers had sought “martyrdom” in the July 2023 assault.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

The Jerusalem District Court handed down lengthy prison sentences to three Arabs from Bethlehem who attempted to murder a Jewish man in a stabbing attack in Jerusalem in July 2023.

The victim, Or Sayer, 25, was walking through the Gilo neighborhood to visit his grandparents when the three assailants approached him, according to the police indictment.

The attackers had set out with the explicit intention of finding a Jew to kill in order to become martyrs.

After speaking with Sayer briefly and realizing he was Jewish, they stabbed him more than 20 times across his body with large kitchen knives before fleeing in a car back toward the Bethlehem area.

One knife was left embedded in Sayer’s back, another at the scene, and a third remained in the attackers’ possession when they were apprehended less than two days later.

The suspects were captured while hiding in a cave by the Duvdevan undercover commando unit, acting on intelligence provided by the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet).

Sayer was rushed to hospital in critical condition and had to be resuscitated during emergency surgery.

In addition to severe physical injuries, he suffered serious psychological trauma and underwent a lengthy rehabilitation process.

The Hebrew University chemistry student was left with a permanent disability assessed at 46%.

The attackers were 17, 18 and 19 years old at the time of the assault, with the youngest tried as a minor.

They were convicted of attempted murder in a nationalistically motivated terror attack, unlawful possession of a knife, and unlawful residence in Israel.

Their sentences ranged from 20 to 23 years, and the court also ordered that they pay NIS150,000 in compensation to the victim.

Prosecutors had sought 25-year sentences, citing the ideological motivation, prior planning, and joint nature of the attack on a random civilian in a public place.

Attorney Einat Baruchi Yariv emphasized the gravity of the harm inflicted on the victim and the need for a clear deterrent to protect public safety.

In its ruling, the court largely agreed, citing “the determination and great cruelty that characterize the shocking act they committed and its serious outcome.”