Israeli moderately wounded in Old City terror attack

One person was moderately wounded and another two were lightly wounded in a stabbing attack near the Jaffa Gate of Jerusalem's Old City on Wednesday, according to Israel Police.

تغطية صحفية: استنفار كبير لقوات الاحتلال في مكان عملية الطعن التي أسفرت عن إصابة خطيرة لمستوطن بالقدس المحتلة. pic.twitter.com/QCzdaOXbrZ

— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) September 6, 2023

The terrorist assaulted a man in his 50s with a butcher's knife on the promenade next to the Jaffa Gate. The man was conscious and in moderate condition and was transferred to Hadassah-University Medical Center in Jerusalem's Ein Kerem by Magen David Adom medics. A 17-year-old was also transferred for treatment due to minor stab wounds to his stomach. A 50-year-old woman was treated at the scene for anxiety.

The terrorist, a 17-year-old resident of east Jerusalem, was apprehended by police at the scene. The terrorist was identified by Palestinian media as Basil Ayed Lafi, a resident of the neighborhood of Jabel Mukaber in east Jerusalem. Lafi's mother and sister were arrested from their home in the neighborhood after the attack. Muhannad Dabash, a friend of Lafi's, was arrested later in the evening as well, according to Palestinian reports.

Police chief Kobi Shabtai and Jerusalem District commander Doron Turgeman were present at the scene and held a situation assessment after the attack.

Magen David Adom senior EMT Rafi HaCohen stated "I was in close proximity to the Jaffa Gate when I discerned the unfolding situation. Racing to the scene, I encountered a man, roughly 50 years old, seated on the sidewalk, bleeding profusely from multiple stab wounds. I immediately summoned more Magen David Adom teams for assistance. Concurrently, I initiated life-saving medical interventions for the injured individual."

HaCohen added that Shabtai, who was nearby, joined him in administering first aid.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir wished a speedy recovery to those injured in the attack, stating "it is precisely for such cases that I have been fighting recently to change the conditions of terrorists in prisons, as soon as a terrorist knows before he goes out to carry out an attack that he is going to suffer in prison, he will think twice before."

Hamas spokesman for the city of Jerusalem, Muhammad Hamadeh, welcomed the attack, calling it a "natural response to the crimes of the Israeli occupation, in light of the incursions to Al-Aqsa and its people, the demolition of homes, a displacement war, and attacks on freedom and education."

Second stabbing attack in two days in Jerusalem

The attack comes just two days after a woman from Jenin attempted to stab a police officer near the Gate of Forgiveness to the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif complex in Jerusalem's Old City.

The suspected terrorist was a 44-year-old Palestinian from the Jenin area who was in the country illegally. The policeman targeted in the attack was not injured by the stabbing due to a protective vest he was wearing. The suspect's arrest was extended on Tuesday until Sunday.

The attack also comes a day after a Border Police officer was moderately injured in a shooting attack in the Jordan Valley. The terrorist who conducted the attack was shot and killed by Border Police at the scene.

The Al-Fajr Brigade terrorist group claimed responsibility for that attack, saying it came as an "initial response" to an incident reported by Haaretz recently in which five Palestinian women were forced to strip by IDF soldiers in Hebron during a raid on an apartment building in the city.

The report sparked outrage among Palestinians, with militant factions threatening a response.

This is a developing story.