A Palestinian terrorist infiltrated the hilltop community of Givat Ronen in northern Samaria on Tuesday evening and attempted to stab a Jewish resident, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed.
“A short time ago, a terrorist armed with a knife arrived on the outskirts of the Givat Ronen outpost in Samaria and tried to stab an Israeli citizen. There were no casualties,” the IDF tweeted. The military launched a search for the terrorist and set up roadblocks in the area.
According to the Arutz 7 network, the terrorist pursued a resident and managed to get within 220 feet of the outpost’s playground before he was scared off.
The Givat Ronen leadership reported that “the terrorist, who planned to carry out a murder spree, miraculously escaped after being frightened by a resident’s dog.”
In a statement, the leadership demanded that the IDF immediately launch a “ground maneuver in all the villages of the area, and the city of Nablus [Shechem], similar to Gaza, to capture and destroy the terrorist infrastructure.”
Givat Ronen is the home of David Chai Chasdai, who was sanctioned by the Biden administration last month over his alleged participation in acts of “settler violence.” Chasdai was held in administrative detention last year after being suspected of partaking in a riot in the nearby Arab town of Huwara, but was not convicted of any crime.
Earlier on Tuesday, the IDF announced the arrest of 10 wanted persons during overnight counterterrorism operations in Judea and Samaria.
Since Hamas launched its war against Israel on Oct. 7, Israeli forces have arrested more than 3,500 terror suspects in the region, 1,500 of whom are affiliated with the terrorist group, the military said.
Judea and Samaria saw a dramatic rise in terrorist attacks last year compared to 2022, with shootings reaching their highest level since the Second Intifada that took place from 2000 to 2005, per IDF data.
Between Oct. 7 and Jan. 15, Rescuers Without Borders, a first-responder group, recorded more than 2,600 Palestinian attacks targeting Israelis in Judea and Samaria, including 760 cases of rock-throwing; 551 firebombings; 12 attempted, or successful stabbings; and nine vehicular assaults.
On Monday evening, security forces operating in Samaria killed a Palestinian terrorist on his way to carry out an imminent attack in central Israel. Muhammad Jaber was killed by the IDF’s Duvdevan undercover unit in Zeita, in the area of the Judea and Samaria security barrier.
According to local media reports, Jaber was caught “en route to Israeli territory” armed with weapons and explosives. The Kan News public broadcaster said he had planned to carry out an attack in Tel Aviv.