2 Israelis gravely injured in third stabbing of day in Jerusalem
’12-year-old victim hospitalized in life-threatening condition; stabbers are teen brothers from east of the city; one killed’
Two Israelis were gravely injured in a stabbing attack in Jerusalem Monday, the third attack to hit the capital in a single day.
The attack took place in the northern neighborhood of Pisgat Zeev, adjacent to a light rail station.
One 12-year-old victim was hospitalized in critical condition.
Doctors at the Hadassah Hospital Mount Scopus said he suffered multiple stab wounds to his upper body, and he was undergoing emergency surgery in hopes of stabilizing his condition.
In the evening, doctors said his condition had improved and he was no longer listed as critical.
An Israel Police officer and Border Police officer eventually caught up with the second attacker, who began running toward them with a blade in his hand.
A police spokeswoman said the officers fatally shot the stabber after he ignored their calls to halt.
An eyewitness described the assailants to Channel 2 as being young teenagers armed with “machetes.”
Earlier on Monday, 17-year-old Mustafa Khatieb from the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Jabel Mukaber attempted to stab a police officer near Jerusalem’s Old City.
The officer, who was wearing a protective vest, was not injured. Khatieb was shot dead by security forces outside the Lions’ Gate after he pulled out a knife.
Less than an hour later, an 18-year-old Arab woman stabbed a Border Police officer outside the national police headquarters adjacent to Ammunition Hill on Road 60.
The woman was approached by the officer, who said she acted suspiciously.
When he was close, she turned around and stabbed him with a knife she held in her hand.
The officer then shot the assailant. She was evacuated to Hadassah Hospital on Mount Scopus with moderate injuries.
A number of attackers in a spate of stabbings over the last two weeks have been in their late teens and early 20s, and two have been confirmed as minors so far.
In addition to Khatieb, 16-year-old Ishak Badran from East Jerusalem stabbed two people near the Old City’s Damascus Gate on Saturday.
Police have bolstered their presence around Jerusalem’s Old City and other areas around the capital in an effort to clamp down on a spate of terror attacks, which have become a daily occurrence over the last week.
The second victim, 25, was said to be in stable yet serious condition. Doctors said he suffered two stab wounds to his upper body.
According to police, the attackers, two East Jerusalem brothers aged 13 and 15, stabbed the 13-year-old boy as he was riding his bike. When eyewitnesses began to run toward the scene of the attack, the two assailants fled. While escaping, one was hit by a car and seriously injured.