Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
JERUSALEM (AP) — A Palestinian stabbed an Israeli man as he worked at a supermarket south of Tel Aviv in what police called a "terror attack" that critically wounded the employee.
The 19-year-old Palestinian man was apprehended by civilians near the scene in the town of Yavne before he was arrested, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said. The 42-year-old victim was taken to an area hospital where doctors were fighting for his life, he said.
Closed-circuit footage from the supermarket shows the Palestinian walk past the Israeli as he arranged goods on a shelf and then pull a knife out from under his shirt. As the Israeli leaned over the products the Palestinian turned around and repeatedly stabbed him in the back.
Israel has been coping with a wave of Palestinian violence that began about two years ago over tensions at a major holy site in Jerusalem, sacred to both Muslims and Jews. Tensions escalated is recent weeks over Israeli security arrangements outside entrances to the site following a Palestinian shooting attack from within the site that killed two Israeli policemen.
Since September 2015, Palestinians have killed 48 Israelis, two visiting Americans and a British tourist in stabbings, shootings and car-ramming attacks Israeli targeting civilians and soldiers.
During that same period, Israeli forces have killed more than 256 Palestinians. Israel has said that most of them were attackers and others died in clashes.
Israel blames the violence on incitement by Palestinian religious and political leaders compounded on social media sites that glorify violence and encourage attacks. Palestinians say the attacks stem from anger and frustration at decades of Israeli rule in territories they claim for a state.
Also on Wednesday, Israeli police said officers found the body of a married, pregnant Israeli woman who went missing over a month ago.
Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said her body was found last week and that her Palestinian boyfriend killed her in a criminal act that was not terror-related.
But both the woman's Israeli husband and Palestinian boyfriend say otherwise.
Aaron Halimi, Michal Halimi's husband, told the Ynet newsite that relations between the couple were "perfect," which is why he "is sure 100 percent that it was nationalistically motivated, not romantic."
The Palestinian appeared in court and told Israeli media he killed the woman in order to gain the release of Palestinian prisoners and denied he was in a relationship with the woman.
Media showed footage from a Facebook page showing the two posing and smiling together.
Palestinian prisoners held by Israel for carrying out attacks or other security reasons get stipends from the Palestinian government while those held for other crimes do not.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
