Israel
Over the past month, terrorist attacks against Israelis have claimed the lives of eight people with another 77 injured. According to the IDF, since September 14th, the 41 attacks included 34 stabbings, four shootings, and four car rammings. Forty Palestinians, including numerous perpetrators, have also been killed amid the unrest.
Avraham Hasano, a 50-year-old Israeli, was struck and killed by a truck near the West Bank City of Hebron on October 20th after inspecting damage to his vehicle caused by Palestinian rock throwers. The truck driver turned himself into Palestinian police after fleeing the scene, however, it remains unclear if the driver’s actions were intentional.
An IDF officer was stabbed near the Arab village of Beit Awwa during a security patrol of the area. During the attack, the perpetrator was shot and killed, while the soldier was treated by paramedics.
Two Israelis were wounded in a car ramming attack near Gush Etzion junction on October 20th. Soldiers in the area shot and killed the car’s Palestinian driver.
The IDF released a video showing the arrest of Hamas co-founder Hassan Yousef during a pre-dawn raid in the West Bank Village of Beitunia on October 20th. The army accused Hassan inciting Palestinians to perpetrate acts of terrorism.
Sgt. Omri Levi, 19, was laid to rest following a mass shooting in central Israel. On October 18th, an Arab-Israeli man opened fire at a Beersheba bus terminal. According to government accounts, Muhand Al-Okabi, 21, shot Levi at point-blank range before taking the young soldier’s M16 rifle and opening fire on a crowd. Ten other people, including four other IDF soldiers, were also wounded in the attack before police shot dead the attacker. During the incident, a guard shot an Eritrean bystander, mistaking him for an accomplice. Security video shows people beating the migrant, identified as Abtom Zarhom, 29, who later died of his injuries.
Israeli security forces inspect the scene after a Palestinian man drove into a bus stop and carried out a stabbing attack in a Jerusalem ultra-Orthodox Jewish neighborhood. (Photo: AFP) |
Israeli Police shot and killed a 19-year-old Palestinian Bassel Sidar after he attempted to stab members of the security forces at a checkpoint near the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem’s Old City on October 14th.
On October 13th, two Palestinians armed with a knives and a gun killed two Israelis on a Jerusalem bus. One of the attackers was killed while the other was subdued by the crowed. On the same day, a Jewish Israeli stabbed another Jewish man mistaking him for Arab, in an attempted revenge attack. The victim later died of his injury.
Police released a video showing a Palestinian terrorist ramming his car into a bus stop in the Geula neighborhood of Jerusalem on October 13th. The man then gets out of the car and axed Rabbi Yeshayahu Krishevsky, 60, to death before a bystander shoots the terrorist. Two other people were injured in the attack.
The Israeli government has deployed additional troops to Jerusalem, increased roadblocks in Arab neighborhoods, and restarted the controversial policy of bulldozing the houses of Palestinian terrorists in an attempt to quell the violence. The cabinet also approved a bill easing the restrictions on stop-and-frisk measures, allowing police to search people based on location without needing other reasonable suspicion. The proposal must go through three votes in the Knesset to become law.
Gaza
There were multiple security incidents on the Gaza-Israel border last weekend. On Friday, IDF troops reportedly shot and injured up to 15 Palestinian rioters after they attempted to damage a security barrier and ignored army warnings. On the same day, sniper fire hit the windshield of an IDF Engineering Corps vehicle. On Saturday, Israeli officials carried out a controlled explosion of a rocket that landed near the border fence overnight.
Engineering units with the IDF began to drill holes near the Gaza border on October 18th following reports from residents of underground noises in the area. The IDF’s Southern Command repeated statements saying that even though Hamas has claimed to rebuild many tunnels, there is no reason to believe the terrorist organization has reached Israel.
Golan Heights
The IDF announced it would conduct scheduled drills this week in the Golan Heights as part of annual training exercises. It warned civilians of explosions and road closures near the border.
Sinai
The Egyptian Interior Ministry announced two police officers were shot and killed by unknown assailants on October 3rd in el-Arish. The local Islamic State affiliate, State of Sinai, took responsibility for the attack.
A roadside bomb killed one soldier and one civilian on October 14th near el-Arish, reported Egypt’s state-run news agency. Six other policemen were wounded in the blast.
According to a statement from Egypt’s Interior Ministry, a roadside bomb killed a policeman and an Army officer near el-Arish on October 17th.
