A Border Police officer who was at a nearby barber shop during the terrorist attack in Ma'ale Adumim heard the gunfire and swiftly acted, neutralizing the attacker. The officer was celebrating his wedding day and was off-duty.
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Speaking with Police Commissioner Yaakov Shabtai, he recounted the drama. "I was getting a haircut down here, and then I heard screams, gunshots, people started running, something not typical around here. I came out of the barbershop, drew my gun, as we were trained - and saw a guy wearing a hi-vis vest, holding a gun."
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The off-duty Border Police officer who neutralized the attacker in Ma'ale Adumim (center) and Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai
(Photo: Israel Police)
According to him, he initially hesitated, unsure if it was a terrorist. "I yelled at him to stop, aimed my gun and yelled at him again to stop. He did not stop; he began firing at me. The moment he started firing at me, I realized he was the terrorist. He was about 20-30 meters away from me, and I hit him."
Police Commissioner Shabtai praised the officer for neutralizing the terrorist, who managed to wound six people, two of them seriously, thereby "preventing a greater disaster". Shabtai asked him if he "needed a day off after this," to which the officer replied, "No, no need."
Public Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Border Police Commander Brik Yitzhak spoke with the officer at the scene and praised him. Speaking from the scene of the attack, Ben Gvir said, "I listened to the officer, and I was very impressed. This is exactly what we want: direct engagement, determination, neutralization and very, very swift action."
Ben Gvir added, "We owe this officer a debt of gratitude. Today is his wedding anniversary, so we also want to wish him double the joy. It's good for the people of Israel that as many terrorists as possible are killed and neutralized. Thank you to the Border Police officers."
The terrorist, Mohannad al-Mazraa, 20, worked at the municipal community center in Ma'ale Adumim and held a work permit for the West Bank settlement. He was a resident of the nearby Palestinian town of Azariya, east of Jerusalem.
The two victims who were seriously wounded in the attack were transported to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem. According to the hospital, "Their lives are not in danger, their condition is serious but stable."
Three additional individuals were admitted to Hadassah University Hospital-Mt. Scopus. The hospital reported that a 14-year-old boy was in moderate condition, having sustained a gunshot wound to the upper body. A 29-year-old man, also in moderate condition, suffered a gunshot wound to the leg. A 37-year-old man, in mild condition, had been shot in the arm. Additionally, five individuals arrived at the hospital in a state of shock, all listed in mild condition.
During the attack, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi were in a pre-scheduled situation assessment at Central Command. The Prime Minister's Office reported that Netanyahu "is receiving ongoing updates together with the defense minister at the Central Command base about the attack in Ma'ale Adumim."
Hamas praised the attack. The terrorist group’s spokesperson Abdel Latif al-Qanua referred to it as "the heroic shooting operation in Ma'ale Adumim near the occupied city of Jerusalem." According to him, it was "a defense of Al-Aqsa Mosque and a response to settler invasions and the performance of Talmudic ceremonies in its courtyards. The resistance fighters' gunfire will not cease in defense of our land and holy sites, and to thwart the settler government's plan to allegedly build the Temple on the ruins of Al-Aqsa Mosque."