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Israeli border police officer stabbed in Jerusalem, alleged attacker 'neutralised'

Israeli border police officer stabbed in Jerusalem, alleged attacker 'neutralised'
The assailant stabbed a border police officer near the Damascus Gate, located in the historic walls of Jerusalem's Old City.
2 min read
16 September, 2024
Israeli police and border guards deploy near the scene of an attempted stabbing attack at the Damascus Gate of the old city of Jerusalem on September 15, 2024. (Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP)

Israeli police shot dead a suspected attacker after he stabbed a border officer at a gate to Jerusalem's Old City on Sunday evening, police said.

The attacker stabbed the border police officer near the Damascus Gate in the historic walls of the Old City.

"The stabbed officer was lightly wounded and was evacuated for medical treatment," the police said in a statement.

"Border Police officers engaged with the [assailant], neutralised him with gunfire, and concluded the attack swiftly," the police said.

A police spokesman later told news agency AFP the alleged assailant had been shot dead. He did not provide details about the accused's identity.

Tensions between Palestinians and Israelis are frequent in the Old City and have only heightened since the start of the Gaza war more than 11 months ago.

In a separate statement, Israel's Magen David Adom emergency service said the 20-year-old wounded officer had an injury to his upper body.

Police and border forces were on the scene and investigating the incident, it added.

Jerusalem, and in particular the Old City, is a holy city for the three Abrahamic religions and remains a key issue at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israel claims Jerusalem as its indivisible capital, but the United Nations and the international community consider Israel's annexation of east Jerusalem to be illegal.

Palestinians aspire to make occupied east Jerusalem, which includes the walled Old City and its holy sites, the capital of a future independent state.

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