A police officer was stabbed and moderately wounded by a Palestinian attacker at the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem on Sunday night, Israeli officials said.
The alleged attacker – a Palestinian from the West Bank, illegally in Israel – was taken to a police booth overlooking the entrance to the Old City for questioning after officers found him suspicious, according to police.
The assailant then pulled out a knife and stabbed the policeman in the neck, medics said.
Other officers at the scene shot the man, police said. He is in critical condition and was taken to Hadassah Hospital in Ein Karem for further medical treatment.
The alleged attacker is said to be 20-year-old Nadhir Marzuk from the West Bank town of Abouin, north of Ramallah, according to his lawyer, Haldun Najm.
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“He is in critical condition. He is ventilated in an induced coma and his life is in great danger, “Najm said in a phone call.
Najm accused police of focusing on treating the wounded officer and “leaving [Marzouq] to bleed. “
Police said the suspect was carrying a second knife.
“The police acted boldly while engaging a person who had aroused their suspicions and thus effectively prevented the injury of innocent civilians,” the Israeli police said in a statement.
In response, officials closed the area and other entrances to the Old Town.
The attack came hours after two Palestinians were arrested for a deadly terrorist attack last week in the central city of Greece last week.
Photo of police handing out knives carried by a Palestinian assailant near the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem, May 8, 2022 (Israeli police)
Tensions between Israel and the Palestinians have risen sharply in recent months amid repeated terrorist attacks in Israel and the West Bank that have killed 19 people.
The Israeli army has stepped up its activities in the West Bank in an attempt to quell growing violence. Subsequent attacks have sparked clashes that have killed at least 27 Palestinians since mid-March. Many of them took part in the clashes, while others appeared to be civilians.
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