Attempted stabbing attack thwarted near Ammunition Hill in Jerusalem

An attempted stabbing attack was thwarted at a light rail station near Ammunition Hill in Jerusalem on Sunday evening, with the woman suspected of attempting to carry out the attack reportedly shot at the scene, according to initial reports.

Israel Police chief Kobi Shabtai arrived at the scene shortly after the incident.

The security guard who spotted the terrorist told Shabtai that he saw the woman going in and out of the light rail and asked her if she needed help. The woman then reached into her bag and pulled out a knife. The guard then jumped backward and shot twice in the air and ordered the woman to drop the knife. She refused to and the guard shot her in the leg, lightly injuring her.

The terrorist was identified by Palestinian media as Samira Harbawi. Her children were reportedly arrested shortly after the attack in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.

Harbawi was reportedly arrested two months ago at the same light rail stop where she attempted the attack, but was judged to be unfit to stand trial by a court.

Attack comes after series of attacks in past week

The attempted attack came as the security cabinet discussed relations with the Palestinian Authority, a week after the IDF conducted a nearly two-day operation in Jenin in the northern West Bank.

The attempted attack additionally comes less than a week after a number of Israelis were wounded in a combined stabbing and ramming attack in Tel Aviv and just days after IDF Staff-Sgt. Shilo Yosef Amir was murdered in a shooting attack near the West Bank settlement of Kedumim. Hamas's al-Qassam Brigades declared responsibility for both attacks.