At least three Israelis were killed and three others wounded when a Palestinian went on a rampage Tuesday near an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank.
The attack took place in several locations near the Israeli settlement of Ariel. The Israel Defense Forces and Israel’s Magen David Adom (MDA) rescue agency said a man first approached the security checkpoint at the entrance to the Ariel industrial zone and stabbed one person there, before running to a nearby gas station where he stabbed two other Israelis. One was pronounced dead at the scene while the other later died from his injuries.
The attacker then stole a car and started driving on the highway, causing a multi-car accident in which another Israeli was killed, the IDF said. After the crash, the attacker went outside and stabbed more people, before an IDF soldier at the scene shot and killed him, the IDF said.
Tuesday’s deadly attacks bring the death toll on the Israeli side of the conflict with the Palestinians to 28 this year. That is equal to the death toll in 2015, the year of the so-called stabbing intifada, and makes it the deadliest year on the Israeli side since then, according to Israel Security Agency figures.
This year was also the deadliest year for Palestinians in the West Bank since 2015. At least 146 Palestinian civilians and fighters have been killed in the West Bank in 2022, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
Israel claims most Palestinians killed were either suspected militants targeted in raids or people involved in violence against its troops, but dozens of unarmed civilians have also been arrested, according to rights groups.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health identified the attacker as Muhammad Murad Sami Souf, 19, from the Palestinian village of Haris, not far from Ariel where the attack took place.
The search continues for a second “suspected terrorist aide,” the IDF said.
Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid condemned the “despicable terrorist” who carried out Tuesday’s attack.
“We fight terrorism mercilessly and with the full might of the IDF, Shin Bet and all security forces. In recent times we have succeeded in dismantling broad infrastructures and organizations, but we must wage this war every day anew. Our security forces work around the clock to protect the citizens of Israel and attack the terrorist infrastructure anywhere, anytime,” the outgoing prime minister said in a statement.
Tuesday’s attack comes a day after Palestinian authorities said a 15-year-old girl was shot and killed by Israeli soldiers while riding in a car with a man who was later arrested by security forces.
According to the IDF, during “counter-terrorist activity” in the West Bank town of Beitunia, soldiers spotted a suspicious vehicle approaching them. The soldiers signaled the driver of the vehicle to stop, but he sped towards them. In response, the soldiers fired at the vehicle. Hits detected. The incident is under control.”
