Israeli police officer hurt in stabbing attack in Jerusalem's Old City

Security personnel shoot, kill attacker at the scene near Damascus Gate.

By DANIEL K. EISENBUD, YAAKOV LAPPIN
Updated: DECEMBER 4, 2015 04:48
Paramedics at the scene of a terror stabbing near Damascus Gate in Jerusalem (photo credit: UNITED HATZALAH‏)
Paramedics at the scene of a terror stabbing near Damascus Gate in Jerusalem
(photo credit: UNITED HATZALAH‏)
A Palestinian security officer opened fire at the Hizma checkpoint in the West Bank on Thursday morning, hours before a Palestinian terrorist stabbed an Israeli police officer outside Damascus Gate in Jerusalem’s Old City. Both Palestinian assailants were shot and killed at the scene.
At the checkpoint near Pisgat Ze’ev, gunfire struck and lightly wounded a soldier, and seriously injured a civilian in the upper body.
Magen David Adom paramedics said they evacuated a 47-year-old civilian with moderate gunshot wounds to the Hadassah University Medical Center in Ein Kerem, and that a 20-year-old soldier received treatment at the scene.
Another soldier on the scene returned fire, striking and killing the gunman. Security forces are checking whether he acted alone.
The Shin Bet intelligence agency identified the assailant as Mazen Ariva, 36, a resident of Abu Dis near Jerusalem, who was an officer in the Palestinian Authority’s intelligence agency and a Fatah member.
The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit reported that the gunman exited his car at the approach to the checkpoint, before opening fire.
In the second attack, police shot and killed the assailant, identified as a 21-yearold man from Tulkarm. The unidentified officer was taken to an area hospital with moderate- to-serious wounds.
Although details of what precipitated the attack remain unclear, according to an initial police investigation the officer was stabbed in the arm by the assailant while checking his identity card on Hanevi’im Street around 5:30 pm.
The 35-year-old officer was then struck in the leg by a stray bullet, whereupon responding officers shot and killed the assailant. The officer was treated at the scene by Magen David Adom paramedics, before being transferred to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in the capital.
Head of the Jerusalem District Police, Asst.-Ch. Moshe Edri, praised the responding officers for their quick response and self-sacrifice.
“The police deployed in the field prove time and again that they are human shields for citizens,” Edri said.
Later Thursday evening, shots were fired at an Israeli car traveling near the West Bank settlement of Psagot in the Binyamin Regional Council. No one was wounded in the incident, but the vehicle sustained damage. The motives behind the shooting remained unclear and the IDF was investigating the event. •