Two Border Policemen were lightly wounded in a stabbing attack in Jerusalem's Old City on Wednesday evening, Israel Police announced.
The two wounded officers are a 19-year-old woman with light to moderate head wounds and a 20-year-old man who had light injuries to his head and lower body. The woman was evacuated to Hadassah-University Medical Center on Jerusalem's Mount Scopus and is conscious and stable, and the man was evacuated to Hadassah-University Medical Center, in Jerusalem’s Ein Kerem
The attack occurred on Hagai (El Wad) Street near the Ateret Kohanim Yeshiva, according to police. The attacker, a 16-year-old from Isawiya in east Jerusalem, was neutralized by the two police officers and a civilian. He died from his wounds soon after, according to ZAKA.
The attacker first stabbed the man from behind, and the woman then wrestled with him and was stabbed while doing so, street cameras showed. The civilian, later identified as the rosh yeshiva of the Ateret Kohanim Yeshiva, shot the attacker moments later.
A number of people were arrested under suspicion of being connected to the attacker after police forces scoured the area, police said.
Police forces entered Isawiya in order to raid the attacker's home, and local residents began to riot, according to Israeli and Palestinian media. Some of his family members were arrested, the reports said.
OC Jerusalem District Asst.-Ch. Doron Turjeman held a situation assessment at the site of the attack.
"During the stabbing attack, the Jerusalem Border Policemen exhibited determination and aggressiveness facing a bloodthirsty terrorist who tried to take their lives in a moment," he said.
"This attack is another reminder of the array of threats that the Jerusalem policeman face courageously in the Old City and in general. We will continue to act with determination against terror threats and anyone who tries to harm policemen or civilians," he said.
Hamas praised the attack.
"This commando operation and the rise of its perpetrator as a martyr is a picture of the great conflict between our people and its resistance and the occupation," said Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem. "This battle will not end except with the victory of our people, the owner of the land, the right and history," he added.