Stabbing attack in Judea, 1 wounded

“The attacks will continue until the Arabs among us understand that the Land of Israel belongs to the Jewish People,” said Gush Etzion Regional Council head Shlomo Ne’eman.

By Aryeh Savir, TPS and World Israel News Staff

An Arab terrorist got on a bus on Thursday in the Gush Etzion region of Judea and Samaria and stabbed an Israeli man, moderately injuring him.

A civilian shot and killed the terrorist, who was armed with a screwdriver.

The victim was evacuated to a hospital in Jerusalem while fully conscious. Several other passengers were treated for shock.

Dr. Alon Rafael, a volunteer doctor with the United Hatzalah emergency organization, said that “according to passersby, the victim was stabbed by the terrorist inside the bus. I provided him with first aid and after his condition stabilized, he was evacuated in an intensive care unit to the hospital in fair condition.”

Shaare Zedek Hospital in Jerusalem stated that the victim was taken to the trauma unit for treatment, where he was anesthetized.

The terrorist was identified as Nadal Jaafra, a 30-year-old from Bethlehem.

This incident comes as security tensions in Israel are high, after a series of terror attacks in the Jerusalem area, the murder of four Israelis in Be’er Sheva, the murder of another two in Hadera by Islamist terrorists, and the latest attack in Bnei Brak which left five dead, and ahead of the Muslim month of Ramadan, which usually spells an uptick in Muslim violence and acts of terrorism in Israel.

“Terror attack after attack, an implosion on a national level in the face of a murderous wave of Arab terrorism that does not differentiate between the residents of Judea and Samaria and the residents of Hadera, Bnei Brak or Be’er Sheva,” commented Gush Etzion Regional Council head Shlomo Ne’eman.”

“If not for the decisive actions of one of our residents who quickly killed the terrorist, we would have G-d forbid suffered significant casualties,” he said. “The Israeli government needs to wake up quickly.

“In the face of this murderous terrorism, we must use strength and determination, and not get confused with ‘peace conferences’ when Jewish blood is flowing in the streets.  The attacks will continue until the Arabs among us understand that the Land of Israel belongs to the Jewish People.”

The country’s security establishment is bracing for violence, especially as Ramadan coincides with Passover, and following the first anniversary of Operation Guardian of the Walls in May 2021, which was launched by the IDF following a Hamas rocket attack on Jerusalem that began at the height of the Month of Ramadan.