JERUSALEM (JTA) — A Palestinian man attempted to stab Israeli civilians and a soldier near the Jewish settlement of Kiryat Arba, outside of Hebron in the West Bank, before being shot by Israeli troops.
The wounded would-be stabber was evacuated for medical treatment, according to the Israel Defense Forces. No Israelis were injured in the attempted attack early Monday afternoon. The IDF said it is investigating the incident at the Elias junction, located at the entrance to Kiryat Arba.
Over the weekend, some 40,000 Jewish pilgrims gathered in Hebron for the annual reading of the Torah portion Chayei Sarah, which recounts the story of the biblical patriarch Abraham buying the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron in order to bury his wife, Sarah.
Some 500 Jewish Israelis live in Hebron in four neighborhoods, amid more than 100,000 Palestinians.
Last month, an Israeli soldier was stabbed and lightly injured by a Palestinian assailant near the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron.
