Two Palestinians infiltrated an IDF base northeast of Ramallah overnight
Thursday, attacking an IDF soldier on guard duty and stealing his
weapon.
An initial investigation by the IDF revealed that the
perpetrators managed to circumvent the base’s security due to the overcast
weather conditions.
The attack also occurred at 2 a.m., reducing the
guard’s visibility.
The IDF said the attackers used pepper spray on the
soldier and threatened him with a fake rifle.
The attack came amid rising
tensions in the West Bank between IDF security personnel and
Palestinians.
“Although the incident has criminal characteristics, the
IDF regards it as a terror attack,” an IDF spokesman said.
“The IDF will
continue to fully investigate the incident.”
Following the attack, the
IDF immediately initiated wide sweeps of the area, in coordination with Israel
Police and other security apparatuses.
On Friday, Brig.-Gen. Haggai
Mordechai, commander of the IDF’s Judea and Samaria Division, arrived at the
scene to resume the investigation.
An IDF source said that the soldier
identified the threat rapidly, but was unable to fire his weapon because he was
engaged in face-to-face combat at close range. The soldier suffered light
wounds, and the source said he was treated on the scene by IDF
medics.
Sources said that the Palestinians managed to pass the first
barrier into the base.
Last week, an IDF border policewoman fatally shot
a Palestinian teen in Hebron after he attacked guards at an outpost. Politicians
have criticized the IDF for a strict terms of engagement policy they say
prevents soldiers from protecting themselves.