Hebron: IDF foils stabbing attempt

Palestinian armed with knife dies after soldiers open fire; no troops hurt.

IDF Hebron great 248.88 (photo credit: AP [file])
IDF Hebron great 248.88
(photo credit: AP [file])
A Palestinian man who tried to stab an IDF soldier on Friday afternoon died on the way to an Israeli hospital, the army said in a statement. Soldiers opened fire on the man after he drew out a knife and lunged at a soldier who was on patrol near a mosque in Hebron.
No soldiers were wounded in the incident, which took place as soldiers were scouring the area for Palestinians who threw rocks at Jewish houses in the West Bank city.
The 41-year-old Palestinian man’s family in Hebron confirmed that he had died, but denied that he attempted to attack a soldier.
The incident came two days after a Palestinian Authority police officer stabbed an IDF soldier to death while he was sitting in a jeep stopped at a traffic light at the Tapuah junction, in the northern West Bank.
On Friday morning, soldiers from the Golani Brigade opened fire on fourarmed Palestinians who were apparently trying to plant a bomb along theGaza border fence.
The army confirmed that the terrorists were hit by the mortar and rifle fire, though no IDF soldiers were hurt in the incident.
Also in the Hebron area, IDF soldiers arrested a Palestinian terrorsuspect in an operation overnight Thursday. The detainee wastransferred for interrogation.
AP contributed to this report.