Two people including an Israeli soldier were attacked by a Palestinian in broad day light on Monday near the flashpoint area of East Jerusalem. The assailant, whose name was not revealed by the authorities, was shot dead after he attacked the victims with a knife.
The attack comes on the fourth day of the Egyptian-mediated ceasefire between Israel and Hamas following a 11-day war period.
Palestinian Attacker Shot Dead
A graphic video of the stabbed Israeli solider went viral. The video shows the bleeding soldier, wearing an Israeli air force uniform, with a long kitchen knife still lodged in his back. The victim is seen kneeling on the ground as passersby and paramedics attended to him.
The Daily Mail reported that the police have described the incident as a terrorist attack. The Magen David Adom emergency service said it treated two men in their early 20s with stab wounds to their upper bodies.
In a statement issued later the police said: "Around 1:30 p.m., an assailant arrived at the light rail station, pulled out a knife and used it to injure two people there. Officers who were on the scene responded quickly, shooting the assailant and neutralizing him."
In a tweet the Israel Defence Forces said that "an IDF soldier was moderately wounded in a stabbing attack in Jerusalem. The soldier received medical treatment at the scene and has been evacuated to a hospital for further treatment."
Commenting on the incident which occurred near Sheikh Jarrah, Public Security Minister Amir Ohana said the officers who shot the assailant 'acted quickly and resolutely, while striving for accuracy'.
Blinken to Meet Israeli Leaders
Two days after US President Joe Biden said that a two-state solution was the only answer to resolving the conflict between Israel and Palestine, it was announced that the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit the region for talks with Israeli, Palestinian, Egyptian and Jordanian leaders.
The announcement comes after Biden pledged to build a major package with other countries to help rebuild Gaza following the 11-day war.
In a statement issued on Monday, the US President said that Secretary Blinken will meet with Israeli leaders about the country's ironclad commitment to Israel's security.
"He will continue our Administration's efforts to rebuild ties to, and support for, the Palestinian people and leaders, after years of neglect. And he will engage other key partners in the region, including on the coordinated international effort to ensure immediate assistance reaches Gaza in a way that benefits the people there and not Hamas, and on reducing the risk of further conflict in the coming months," the statement from the President read.
