Israeli man wounded in Palestinian terror attack near Jericho

Israeli man from the ultra-Orthodox city of Beitar Illit stabbed by Palestinian terrorist in the Jordan Valley.

By World Israel News Staff

An Israeli man was moderately wounded Sunday morning in a terrorist stabbing attack near the Palestinian village of al-Auja in the Jordan Valley, prompting a large-scale manhunt involving special forces and Israeli Air Force assets.

The victim, identified in as a 24-year-old man from the ultra-Orthodox city of Beitar Illit south of Jerusalem, was stabbed in the upper body after apparently stopping along Route 90 near al-Auja to purchase goods.

The attacker fled following the stabbing, and Israeli forces entered the area and established roadblocks as they searched for the suspect.

The IDF said special forces and Air Force assets had been dispatched to assist in the manhunt, with troops carrying out searches in and around al-Auja. The military said it was also maintaining contact with Israeli residents and local security officials in the Jordan Valley.

The stabbing was initially reported to Magen David Adom at 9:18 a.m. The wounded man was brought to a meeting point with emergency medical teams near the village before being evacuated to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem.

“He was fully conscious and suffering from a stab wound to his upper body,” MDA emergency medic Gal Shani said.

The victim received treatment at the scene before being taken by intensive-care ambulance to the hospital in moderate condition.

Police initially said they had received a report of a stabbing victim near al-Auja and were investigating the circumstances.

“A short time ago, a report was received of a stabbing victim near the village of al-Auja in the Jordan Valley,” police said shortly after the incident.

The IDF subsequently identified the incident as a terrorist attack.

A preliminary military investigation found that the victim had stopped along the highway to make a purchase when he was attacked.

Al-Auja lies north of Jericho along Route 90, the main north-south highway running through the Jordan Valley. The area has previously been the scene of terrorist attacks targeting Israeli motorists.

In March 2024, a Palestinian gunman opened fire on vehicles and school buses traveling through al-Auja, wounding three Israelis. The attacker escaped, prompting an extensive manhunt before later turning himself in to Israeli forces.

Sunday’s stabbing also comes roughly a month after a series of deadly and serious attacks in Judea and Samaria.

On July 23, Itamar Cohen, 51, was seriously wounded when two Palestinian terrorists stabbed him near the Derech Avraham Farm in the Samaria region while Israelis were responding to a fire. An armed Israeli civilian shot and killed both terrorists.

Another stabbing was carried out later that day near the former community of Ganim in northern Samaria, where an Israeli was wounded and the attacker was killed by Israeli forces.

The following day, Maj. Yuval Ezra and Sgt. Maj. (res.) Benayahu Mellet were killed during a terrorist attack near the village of Tell, close to Havat Gilad. The attacker seized an Israeli security weapon during a confrontation and opened fire before being killed.

Two days later, an off-duty IDF soldier and another Israeli were attacked during a confrontation near Susya in the southern Hebron Hills. A Palestinian assailant seized a weapon during the incident before fleeing; the gun was subsequently recovered by Israeli forces.

Security forces continued searching the al-Auja area Sunday for the suspect in the latest stabbing.