LIVE BLOG: Wave of terror hits Israel

Follow the latest updates on the escalation of violence in Israel and the West Bank.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Updated: OCTOBER 11, 2015 17:20
This week in 60 seconds: Terror hits Israel
Sunday, October 11    
17:19
A 25-year-old male was lightly injured in a stone throwing incident by the A-Zaim security checkpoint Sunday afternoon, according to MDA.
MDA responders provided initial treatment to the victim. He was later evacuated to Hadassah Medical Center on Jerusalem's Mount Scopus.
17:00
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a Security Cabinet meeting Sunday afternoon, receiving a general assessment of the overall security picture Israel is facing in light of the recent escalation in terrorist violence throughout the Jewish state and West Bank over the last several days.
During the briefing, a representative from the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) told the prime minister that Hamas was the main instigator responsible for stoking violence throughout the country. The Shin Bet official also noted that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was working to deescalate the violence emanating from the West Bank.
16:57
An Arab man was allegedly attacked by a group of Jewish girls in the capital, Jerusalem District Police said on Sunday.
The police received a call that an Arab man who works at a store on Jaffa Street in downtown Jerusalem was attacked with tear gas by a group of young Jewish women.
The wounded man described the attackers to officers who arrived at the scene, and three suspects were detained for questioning following extensive searches.
"The police call upon the public to act responsibly. The police will act with zero tolerance toward any violent incident or an attempt to harm public safety," it said.
16:07
The Shin Bet said the female terrorist who ignited a blast in her vehicle is a 31-year-old resident of east Jerusalem, who divided her time between Jericho and the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Jabal Mukabar. She has no know security offenses or arrests.
The woman attempted to ignite a gas tank in her car which flammable materials, while yelling "Allahu Akbar." She then tried to exit the vehicle. Other than the gas tank, there was no explosive device in her vehicle.
Security forces found hand-written notes in her possession that contained messages of support for "martyrs."
15:33
Two Israeli were lightly injured in a rock throwing incident by Beit Omar, close to Hebron.
The two are being treated on the spot; culprits of the incident escaped the scene.
14:11
President Reuven Rivlin on Sunday morning paid a condolence visit to the family of Rabbi Aharon Bennett who was murdered in a terrorist knife attack in Jerusalem's Old City last week. Bennett's wife Adele and their 2-year-old son were both injured in the attack.
"We are strong, and our country is strong, and no one can deter us. We returned to our land out of a love for our land, and in order to build and be built up in it. We are a strong democracy, and all those who wish us evil – cannot harm this," Rivlin told the family. 
13:15
Joint List MK Haneen Zoabi said in response to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to instruct the A-G to investigate her for incitement that she would not be deterred by the "threats" and that she would continue her "just struggle for equality for all."
"I reject and I recoil from Mr. Netanyahu's crazed words of incitement and from the Right that tries to trample everything in its way. His speech [the prime minister's] demonstrates a moral and political bankruptcy," Zoabi said.
Zoabi said that currently there is no difference between Netanyahu and the right-wing extremist bullies.
12:50
Labor MK Shelly Yacimovich on Netanyahu decision to direct A-G to investigate MK Zoabi:
"This is a record low that the prime minister in his moment of trouble has chosen to deliver a speech against the one and only member of Knesset Haneen Zoabi. Simply pathetic and troubling," Yacimovich tweeted.  
12:35 
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directed Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein to open a criminal investigation against Joint List MK Haneen Zoabi for calling for a “popular intifada” against Israel.
Netanyahu, who said that Israel would not tolerate incitement from within and will act against it from all directions, quoted from an interview Zoabi granted this week to a Hamas newspaper.
“Hundreds of thousands of worshipers should go to the Al-Aksa Mosque to stand up against Israel's conspiracy to condone violence against east Jerusalem residents,” Netanyahu quoted Zoabi as saying.
“Today there are only actions of individuals, and what is needed is popular support,” Netanyahu quoted Zoabi as saying. “If individual attacks will continue without popular support they will die out in a matter of days – thousands of people going out will turn these events into a true intifada.”
11:43
A Palestinian gunman in Gaza fired shots at an Israeli vehicle across the border on Sunday morning.
The vehicle was struck and sustained damage, an army spokeswoman said, but was empty and no injuries were reported in the shooting attack. The incident occurred on the border between southern Gaza and Israel.
11:20 
Contrary to the police account that there was an a terror attack on the road between Ma'aleh Adumim and Jerusalem on Sunday morning, Palestinian news agency Ma'an reported that a mechanical failure in the Palestinian woman's car caused the explosion. 
Eyewitnesses told Ma'an that an electrical problem in the car caused the airbag to explode, starting a fire in the car and causing the woman to scream.  
One of the witnesses said that the white powder seen in the photos at the scene of the incident is the material that the airbag emitted following its explosion. 
10:00
"It is feared that a terror cell stands behind the Sunday morning explosion near Ma'aleh Adumim and it's possible that there will be more attempts to execute terrorist attacks using explosive," a military source told The Jerusalem Post's sister publication Ma'ariv. 
 
The source questioned the sophistication of the cell however.
 
"The explosive device was small and unprofessional and the terrorist was not trained," he explained.  
The source said the suspect is known to security forces and it was being checked which organization she belonged to.
 
"Sending terrorists with explosives looks like a Hamas operation and this is the direction of the investigation but no direction will be ruled out," he said.
8:45
Highway 1 between Ma'aleh Adumim and Jerusalem, the site of the terrorist attack on Sunday morning, was reopened to traffic at around 8:15 am. 
7:25
A terrorist detonated an explosive and lightly injured a police officer near the A-Zaim checkpoint on the road between Ma'aleh Adumim and Jerusalem on Sunday morning.
The terrorist was seriously injured in the attack and was evacuated to hospital in Jerusalem with burns to her entire body, Magen David Adom said. The police officer suffered to his upper body and was evacuated to hospital with light injuries and in stable condition.  
3:05
The Israel Air force struck two Hamas weapon-manufacturing sites in the northern Gaza Strip in retaliation for earlier rocket fire. In the strikes, a Gazan woman and her daughter were reportedly killed.
1:00
Rocks were thrown at a vehicles on Highway 6 near Tayibe, close to Netanya, Israel Police reported Sunday. There were no reports of damage or injury. Police are searching the area to find the suspects involved in the incident.
00:30
Settler leaders cancelled their Sunday morning protest in front of the Prime Minister's office, which had been timed to coincide with the weekly government meeting. But protest tents in front of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's home will remain. 
00:20
Palestinians threw stones at the vehicle of the administrator for the Neriya settlement Evyatar Katav as he drove home to the Alei Zahav settlement. He had been in Neriya for Ya'alon's visit to the Henkin family.
Saturday, October 10
23:30
US Secretary of State John Kerry called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, expressed "deep concern" after a week of bloodshed for Israelis and Palestinians and offered any support he could provide to restore calm.
23:09
Palestinian terrorists fired a rocket from Gaza at Ashkelon on Saturday night. An Iron Dome air defense battery stationed in the area intercepted the projectile. There were no immediate reports of injuries or of damage.
23:00
Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon visited the Henkin family in their home in the West Bank settlement of Neriya. Eitam and Naama Henkin were killed by Palestinian gunmen on October 1 as they drove home with their four children.
22:55
A soldier was moderately wounded by a gunshot to the upper part of his body on Saturday night by the southern gate to the Kiryat Arba settlement in the West Bank, an IDF spokesman said. He was evacuated to Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem's Ein Kerem.
22:28
A 43-year old man suffered a head wound after stones were thrown at a bus in Jerusalem on Shmuel HaNavi Street on Saturday night, according to Magen David Adom.
21:00
Dozens of Palestinians managed to infiltrate Israel from southern Gaza on Saturday and were surrounded by security forces.
20:43
A 53-year old woman was lightly injured from glass shards after Palestinians threw stones at her car as she traveled on Route 60, near the tunnel leading from Jerusalem to the Efrat settlement.
14:55
A 19-year-old Palestinian assailant from Shuafat refugee camp stabbed two Special Patrol officers near Damascus Gate before being shot and killed
10:55
A 16-year-old Palestinian terrorist stabbed two Jewish men in their 60s with a knife some 150 meters from Damascus Gate, leaving them in moderate and light condition. The teenager then charged Border Police officers stationed in the area before being shot dead
Friday, October 9
12:39
Police officer in Kiryat Arba was lightly injured after being stabbed by a terrorist who attempted to steal his weapon. The suspect was subsequently neutralized.
12:20
A 16-year-old was lightly injured in a stabbing attack in Jerusalem Friday afternoon. The stabber was neutralized after the attack.
10:15
Three Palestinians were stabbed by an Israeli in Dimona, with one in critical condition. Two remain in moderate condition, MDA reported Friday morning.
Thursday, October 8   
25:55
Israel returned to Ramallah the body of the terrorist Mohand Halabi, who killed two Israelis in a stabbing and shooting attack in Jerusalem on Saturday night.
23:53
Security forces arrested four protesters, including a man in possession of a knife during a demonstration in Jerusalem's Sacher Park organized by the extremist Lehava and La Familia organizations, Israel Radio reported.  Lehava leader Benzti Gopstein was among those arrested for disturbing the order after demonstrators hurled stones at security forces.  
23:13 
Settler leaders plan to hold a protest outside the cabinet meeting on Sunday to call on Netanyahu to authorize more building in West Bank settlements and improve security. Since last Thursday they have sat every day in tents outside the prime minister’s Jerusalem home.
In reaction to Netanyahu’s words against settlement building in the press conference, Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan said, “we also don’t need anyone to teach us about the settlement enterprise.”
He charged, that as prime minister, Netanyahu had taken a number of steps that made it easier for Palestinians to carry out attacks against Israelis such as removing road blocks and increasing access to roads.
 
23:09
About 400 extreme right-wing protesters chanting anti-Arab slogans were marching from the center of Jerusalem towards the Old City on Thursday night.
Around 50 police officers including mounted police were deployed around the protesters.
22:55
A 17-year-old boy was lightly wounded Thursday night near Kiryat Arba after rocks were thrown at him, Magen David Adom reported. Paramedics provided medical treatment at the scene before taking him to Shaare Zedek Medical Center.
22:05
Following a security assessment the police decided to limit entry for Friday prayers at Jerusalem's Temple Mount to male worshipers above the age of 50. No age limit was placed on Muslim female worshipers.
Police said the decision was made because of intelligence it had about the intention of Arab youths to disturb the peace at the site that has been a flashpoint for violence in the capital. 
21:53
In response to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's call for opposition leader Isaac Herzog to form a unity government Zionist Union MK Shelly Yacimovich tweeted: "Unity government? Why? To create a false impression that that the opposition has a part in his failure to provide security?"
21:25
The Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) named the Afula knife attacker as Jenin resident Tarak Yahya, 20.
Yahya, who is single, has no history of previous security offenses or arrests.
21:15
During his joint press conference on Thursday evening, in an answer to a question from a reporter about the government cooperating with the opposition, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called upon Zionist Union leader Isaac Herzog to join the coalition.
Due to the wave of violence, Netanyahu said he wanted a wider government and unity in the nation.
20:50
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke out Thursday amid a wave of terror attacks that have hit Israel in recent days, saying that the Islamist extremism plaguing the Middle East has arrived at Israel's doorstep as well.
"Hateful terrorists are trying to hurt our people," Netanyahu said, praising security forces for their bravery in combating the attacks.
20:09
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday voiced support for a “peaceful popular resistance.”
Speaking to reporters in Ramallah, Abbas said, “We won’t be dragged to their (Israel’s) square. We won’t use violence or force. We believe in peace and peaceful popular resistance, which is our right and must continue as long as there is aggression.”
Abbas also expressed support for Palestinians “who are defending the Aksa Mosque and are suffering a lot for the sake of defending it.”
Addressing the Israeli government, Abbas said: “Stay away from our Islamic and Christian holy sites. We want peace and our hands will continue to be extended towards peace despite all our suffering at your hands.”
Abbas said that the Palestinian flag would be raised over the Aksa Mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher when a Palestinian state is established.
19:27
Approximately 200 people were demonstrating in Mary's Well's Square in Nazareth in support of Jerusalem's Aksa Mosque.
19:18
Two people were stabbed in Afula in a suspected terror attack . The terrorist was apprehended.
18:48
Wissam Faraj, 20 was shot dead in a clash with police in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Shuafat, according to reports in Palestinian media.
18:16
IAF officer Sec.-Lt. Daniel, the Israel Air Force officer who shot and killed the terrorist who perpetrated the stabbing attack in Tel Aviv said: "I saw a terrorist stab a soldier. We realized that it was a stabbing attack becuase of the recent events that have been happening in the country. I got out of the car, ran toward him and neutralized him from close range. I think I was in the right place at the right time. And I did what is expected of every fighter in the Air Force and the IDF."
18:01
Taeer Abu Gazala, 19, a resident of east Jerusalem, was the person killed after wounding four Israelis in an attack in Tel Aviv on Thursday afternoon. 
17:33
After Israel saw three terrorist attacks on Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was set to hold a joint press conference at 20:30 with Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon, Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Gadi Eisenkot, and interim Police Chief Bentzi Sau.
17:26
Head of the opposition Isaac Herzog said on Thursday that the West Bank should be sealed until the wave of violence that Israel is currently facing subsides.
"We are facing a large and dangerous wave of terror and we will know how to overcome it," Herzog wrote on Twitter.
"Tensions should be decreased by taking the following steps immediately: a closure should be imposed on Judea and Samaria until the rage passes in order to prevent friction and potential acts of terror; visits to the Temple Mount should be decreased to the minimum level especially visits by extremist politicians other interested parties," Herzog offered.
17:25
Deputy Defense Minister Eli Ben Dahan called on the Attorney-General to authorize the army to demolish terrorists’ houses immediately after they attack and not wait a year. He also called for civilians to legally carry firearms and to “be alert and prevent another terrorist attack.”
17:15
MK Omer Bar-Lev (Zionist Union) called on Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Tzachi Hanegbi to call an emergency meeting on the escalation.
“From Molotov cocktails and rock-throwing to stoning a bus in Jaffa and stabbings in Jerusalem, Kiryat Gat and Petah Tikva of soldiers and civilians, the pace of security events is dizzying and raises concerns that it is not a series of lone events. Whether we call it an escalation or the third Intifada, it is clear that the public’s sense of security has crumbled,” Bar-Lev wrote.
16:58
Following the stabbing in Jerusalem on Thursday, and after days of increased violence in the capital, police stationed metal detectors at the Damascus, and Jaffa Gate entrances to the Old City as well as on a number of streets inside the Old City.
The move comes following a decision on the matter by the Public Security Ministry and the police.
As required, the detectors have the ability to move to different locations in the city, police said.
16:20
It was reported that the Tel Aviv terrorist was a worker at a nearby construction site.
16:02
A stabbing was reported in Kiryat Arba, near Hebron on Thursday, Magen David Adom reported. One of those reported stabbed is in serious condition after being stabbed in the back. The attacker managed to escape from the scene.
15:09
An assailant stabbed an IDF soldier and took her weapon before being shot and killed in Tel Aviv. The attack took place on the corner of Moses Street and Menahem Begin Boulevard near the Kiriya Military Headquarters in the city center. MDA paramedics reported that four people, including the soldier were lightly wounded in the attack. They were transported to nearby Sourasky Medical Center for treatment. According to initial reports, the assailant stabbed the soldier with a screwdriver, took her weapon and ran toward the nearby Azrieli shopping mall. A soldier who was on the scene pursued the stabber, shooting and killing him.
14:27
Jerusalem Police received an emergency call on Thursday reporting a suspicious man with an object that appeared to be a knife on Jaffa Street in the capital. Police officers were searching the area for the suspect.
12:24
A Palestinian assailant stabbed an Israeli man on Bar Lev Street in Jerusalem, wounding him seriously. Paramedics who rushed to the scene said that the Israeli, a 25-year-old male, suffered wounds to his upper body. The victim was rushed to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem for treatment. According to police, special forces on patrol nearby tackled the stabber and took him into custody. The Shin Bet named the terrorist as Subhi Abu Khalifa, 19, a resident of the Shuafat Refugee Camp district. Abu Khalifa has no history of security arrests or offense. The Shin Bet has begun questioning him.