Israeli forces shot and seriously injured a Palestinian man after he allegedly stabbed an Israeli army officer yesterday morning at a guard post in the illegal Israeli settlement of Efrat southwest of Bethlehem in the southern occupied West Bank.
The incident came after four Palestinians and one Jordanian were killed by Israeli forces in recent days amid an upsurge in violence in the occupied Palestinian territory.
According to an Israeli army statement, an “assailant stabbed and wounded an Israeli army officer. In response to the immediate threat, Israeli forces fired at assailant. Both evacuated for medical care”.
Both were reportedly taken to the Hadassah Medical Centre in Jerusalem’s Ein Karem.
According to Israeli media, the 30-year old Israeli army commander sustained stab wounds to his upper body, and other Israeli army soldiers stationed at the guard post shot and wounded the Palestinian suspect, Palestinian Ma’an news agency reported.
According to Israeli news site Ynet, the settlement’s electronic security system had identified movement within 400m of the settlement between 2am and 4am yesterday and a “civilian security squad” along with Israeli army forces went to the scene to search for a “suspicious individual.”
“At around 6am, the assailant, who was hiding in the bushes, jumped out and stabbed the officer using two knives,” Ynet reported.
Also yesterday, Israeli army closed the main entrance of the town of Beit Ummar, north of Hebron in the West Bank. Israeli army closed the main entrance of the town, banning the entry and exit of passengers and drivers into and from the town, a witness told Palestinian News Agency (Wafa).
The Israeli military said the closure was due to the maintenance of a neighbouring military watchtower. It said the closure will continue until September 22.
Meanwhile, Israeli occupation forces have seized an under-construction property owned by a Palestinian citizen in Yaboud town southwest of Jenin to use as a military post.
A statement by Yaboud municipality said that Israeli troops took control of a property belonging to a Palestinian citizen and turned it into a military observation post.
The Israeli soldiers raised the Israeli flag on its roof, the statement added.