Two separate stabbing attacks in Samaria on Thursday left an Israeli civilian seriously wounded and an IDF soldier lightly injured, Israeli authorities said.
The first attack took place near Derech Avraham Farm, close to Alon Moreh and southeast of Nablus, after Israelis arrived to help extinguish a fire in the area. According to the IDF, two Palestinians stabbed 51-year-old Itamar Cohen, identified by Defense Minister Israel Katz as one of the founders of the agricultural farm movement in Judea and Samaria.
An armed Israeli civilian at the scene shot and killed the two attackers, the military said. Cohen was treated by Magen David Adom teams and evacuated by helicopter for hospital care in serious condition.
Israel Fire and Rescue Services and police opened an investigation into the blaze. Israeli reports later cited fire officials as determining that the fire had been deliberately set, though the full circumstances remained under review.
In a second incident Thursday afternoon, a Palestinian stabbed a soldier from the Paratroopers Brigade in the leg near a newly established IDF post close to Ganim in northern Samaria. The soldier was lightly wounded, and other troops at the scene shot and killed the attacker, according to the army.
Following the attack near Derech Avraham Farm, IDF forces searched the Beit Furik area and imposed a temporary cordon.
Katz said he was praying for Cohen’s recovery and warned that Israel would continue to target terrorist infrastructure across Judea and Samaria. He said Palestinian terrorism had fallen by more than 80% under the government’s current security policy, but added that the threat had not disappeared.
The defense minister compared future action to recent IDF operations in Jenin, Tulkarem and Nur Shams, saying Israeli forces would not hesitate to dismantle additional terrorist networks where necessary.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said after the attack that he had ordered steps to accelerate the establishment of the nearby community of Shalem and advance enforcement against illegal construction in the area.
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