Israeli Servicemen Thwart Stabbing Attack in West Bank - IDF

11:30 GMT, 15 October 2018

CC BY 2.0 / Israel Defense Forces / Brother's Keeper Operation in Judea & Samaria

TEL AVIV (Sputnik) - Israeli servicemen on Monday averted a stabbing attack in the West Bank, the press service of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.

Sputnik

"Attack thwarted. A Palestinian attempted to stab an IDF soldier in the Gitai Avishar Junction, west of Ari’el. Our troops shot towards the terrorist and killed him," the IDF's press service said on Twitter.

As a result of the incident, Israeli servicemen received no injuries.

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The attack comes amid a recent spike in stabbings in Israel, in addition to the gun and car attacks, against its troops and civilians in what has been described as "knife intifada" by Palestinians, who want Israel to give up control of the occupied Palestinian lands.

Since late March, when the so-called Palestinian Great March of Return began, tensions have been mounting between the Israelis and the Palestinians near the Gaza border. The violence reached its peak in May amid the opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem timed to the anniversary of the establishment of the State of Israel. Then, over 60 Palestinians were killed and over 2,700 others were wounded by the Israeli forces in the course of two days.