Israeli police detain Palestinian over alleged stabbing attempt in northern Israel

By Zein Khalil and Tarek Chouiref

JERUSALEM/ISTANBUL (AA) – The Israeli police on Saturday said they detained a Palestinian man over an alleged stabbing attempt at the entrance to a kibbutz in the Hasharon area of northern Israel.

In a statement on X, police claimed: “A report was received about a suspect who arrived at the kibbutz gate.”

It added: “At that moment, a private driver passing through noticed the suspicious figure and stopped his vehicle.”

According to the statement: “The driver immediately alerted the kibbutz guard, who subdued the suspect and found a knife in his possession, until officers arrived and took him into custody.”

A kibbutz is a community settlement in Israel that is traditionally based on agriculture.

The suspect was identified as a 24-year-old resident of the Tulkarm refugee camp. Police said he will be questioned in a joint investigation with the Shin Bet security agency.

The statement did not clarify whether the guard had opened fire on the man.

Since the start of Israel’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip in October 2023, at least 1,011 Palestinians have been killed and more than 7,000 injured in the West Bank by Israeli forces and illegal settlers, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

In a landmark opinion last July, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal. It demanded the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.