IDF arrests 2 Palestinians, critically injures third

Army arrests 2 Palestinians with knives near Elon Moreh, critically injures one near Ramallah.

By YAAKOV LAPPIN
IDF soldiers patrol during a raid 390 (R) (photo credit: Abed Omar Qusini / Reuters)
IDF soldiers patrol during a raid 390 (R)
(photo credit: Abed Omar Qusini / Reuters)
The IDF arrested two Palestinians with knives who had been spotted on a security camera close to the Eilon Moreh settlement in the West Bank on Monday.
The Eilon Moreh security guard alerted the IDF, which dispatched a unit from the Golani Brigade to intercept the suspects.
The Palestinians fled the area and entered the village of Azamut, east of Nablus. Soldiers pursued them and apprehended them near a school.
A search of the suspects revealed that they were armed with two knives. One suspect had a knife that was 9.5-centimeters long, and the second was armed with an 8-centimeter- long knife.
Soldiers took the suspects into custody for questioning.
Separately, a group of around 15 Palestinians approached an IDF position near Bir Zeit, north of Ramallah, an IDF representative said.
The suspects began hurling rocks at soldiers. IDF soldiers responded with crowd-dispersal means, but they did not use live fire, the representative added.
Palestinian sources said a 19-year-old man was seriously injured in the head by a teargas canister. The sources added that he was taken to the Ramallah hospital in critical condition.
“We saw a report of an injured Palestinian, but we’ve been unable to confirm it at this stage,” the IDF representative said.
Jonathan Pollak, a spokesman for the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee, said that the young man survived surgery and is now in the intensive care unit.
Tovah Lazaroff contributed to this report.