Israeli forces deployed in large numbers to Judea and Samaria early Friday, surrounding the Palestinian village of Kaubar, the home of a terrorist who murdered an Israeli father of two on Thursday in the Jewish community of Adam.
At around 8 p.m. Thursday, 17-year-old Palestinian terrorist Muhammad Tareq Youssef Abu Ayyush from Kaubar jumped over the security fence surrounding Adam. He entered the community and stabbed three passersby.
The Hadassah Mount Scopus Hospital in Jerusalem issued a statement Thursday night after the attack indicating that Yotam Ovadia, 31, had died from his wounds several hours after he was rushed to the hospital.
Another man, 58, was moderately wounded and was also treated at the hospital.
The third victim, 41-year-old Assaf Raviv, was lightly wounded in the knife attack but managed to shoot and kill the terrorist. He was taken to Shaare Zedek Medical Center, also in Jerusalem, for treatment.
Raviv initially believed the attack was a physical altercation and approached the terrorist and the two victims. Upon realizing the nature of the attack, he pulled out his weapon and fired at the terrorist, but not before being stabbed himself.
Raviv recalled the encounter, telling Israel Hayom that "I was getting ready to go on a bike ride. I left the house and loaded my bicycle on the car. Suddenly, I heard yelling from a nearby alley. It sounded like a serious fight."
"In my riding bag, where I keep all my gear, I also have my gun. I pulled the gun out and began to approach, to see what was happening. As I drew near, I saw the terrorist standing before me. I thought he was a resident of my community, and that he was in a fist fight with someone here. So I asked him why he was fighting," Raviv continued.
"He didn't answer me. He pulled a knife out of his pocket and tried to stab me in the throat. I managed to move out of the way and he stabbed me in the shoulder. I moved away from him and pulled out my gun, maintaining eye contact. He pounced at me again with a drawn knife – he gave me no choice," he said.
"I shot him two or three times and he fell on the road. He was neutralized. People began to rush over, and I moved aside to attend to my injuries," he concluded.
Hamas, the terrorist group that rules Gaza, predictably issued a statement praising the attack but stopped short of claiming responsibility for orchestrating it.
The terrorist group's spokesman, Fawzi Barhoum, said the attack "was a brave operation that responds to the daily ugly crimes the occupation commits against our people."
The village of Kaubar was also home to Omar al-Abed, a terrorist who murdered three members of the Salomon family in the settlement of Halamish a year ago. Al-Abed is currently serving four life sentences for the attack.
Israeli forces later measured the attacker's house in Kaubar, preparing for its demolition, the military said. Israel typically razes the homes of Palestinian attackers calling it a deterrent measure, but critics consider the policy collective punishment.
Israelis have faced a wave of Palestinian attacks in the recent past, mostly stabbings, on civilians and soldiers over the past two years but these types of assaults have been declining.
Peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians collapsed in 2014 and a bid by the U.S. administration to restart them has so far shown little sign of progress.
