A terrorist opened fire toward the Jewish settlement in the West Bank city of Hebron while visiting a nearby Muslim cemetery Saturday afternoon before being shot by security forces.
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There were no reports of casualties in the attack, and the IDF scanned for additional terrorists in the area.
Footage of the attempted attack on Hebron
Footage of the incident showed the terrorist holding an AK-47 and firing toward the Jewish settlement before being shot and injured. The terrorist, Sheikh Mahmoud Nofal, is the imam of the city's Al-Qasim Mosque and a Hamas operative.
On Friday, two Palestinian youths were arrested on suspicion of planning an attack against Jews in Kfar Eldad in Gush Etzion. Security forces identified them and arrested them after noticing they were armed with three knives. No injuries were reported in the incident, and the suspects were transferred for questioning by security forces.
A security official said, "This was truly a miracle; the terrorists could have infiltrated and this whole event could have ended very badly."
Since the onset of the war, the IDF Central Command has bolstered its presence along roads and in towns throughout the West Bank. In addition, recent exercises have been carried out in various towns to ready them for potential infiltration and attacks. The deployment, comprising approximately 7,000 soldiers, is anticipated to continue in the region until at least the end of the month of Ramadan.
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IDF operates in West Bank amid rising tensions during Ramadan
(Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)
"In the past two years, and especially since the beginning of the war, we have significantly improved the security in towns throughout the West Bank, including surveillance, security fences and new systems. In addition, we have conducted dozens of surprise drills for such events. Last night, two infiltration attempts were thwarted thanks to the defense systems and security forces," a senior security official said.