An ultra-Orthodox man in 20s was seriously wounded in a terrorist attack in Jerusalem's Old City on Saturday afternoon after being stabbed by a Palestinian assailant. The latter was shot dead by security forces on the scene.
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The incident took place near the Damascus Gate, a crowded area that is often the scene of demonstrations, clashes and terrorist attacks.
The Border Police said the suspect also attempted to stab a policeman before he was shot.
The victim was rushed to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in serious condition with an apparent stab wound to his neck. He is believed to be in stable condition.
Channel 12 News identified the terrorist as Mohamed Shawkat Salima, 25, from Salfit, in the central West Bank. Police officials told the news outlets he was in Israel illegally and had a prior arrest record.
The police released a surveillance video in which the terrorist can be seen stabbing the Haredi man and then trying to stab a police officer before being shot and falling to the ground.
The footage sparked controversy as it showed Israeli officers shooting the attacker again after he was already lying on the ground.
Hamas praised the attack as an "act of heroism," but stopped short of claiming responsibility for it. The terrorist group controlling the Gaza Strip slammed Israel for the attacker's "execution," calling it "a barbaric crime that reflects the criminal nature of the occupation."
Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said in a statement, "The campaign against the occupation is ongoing and it will never stop until we achieve our goals of the liberation of our people, establishing the Palestinian state and setting al-Quds [Jerusalem] as its capital."
Munir al-Jaghoub, who heads Fatah's Information Department, said that the footage "proves that the soldiers of the occupation executed the perpetrator after he was wounded and wasn't moving."
The Border Police stressed that the officers at the scene "acted professional and determinately when seeking to engage the assailant," adding that in past cases terrorists believed to be neutralized had gotten up and tried to attack the troops.
Border Police Commissioner Amir Cohen issued a statement saying that he "fully backs" the troops involved in the incident, stressing their rapid response prevented a graver result.
He said Border Police troops "are deployed nationwide and across Jerusalem to ensure the public's sense of safety. Our officers will continue to stand guard professionally and resolutely. As a professional corps, we will study this incident, as we do in any incident."
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett also offered the troops his support, saying they "acted very quickly and resolutely, as is expected of police officers, against a terrorist who tried to murder an Israeli civilian.
"I wish to convey to them my full backing. That is how our forces are expected to act and that is how they acted. We must not allow our capital to become a terror hotspot."
Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked echoed the sentiment saying Border Police troops "are at the forefront and we stand behind them."
Education Minister Yifat Shasha-Biton and Communications Minister Yoaz Hendel also praised the officers for preventing a bigger tragedy.
Arab politicians, however, lambasted what they called the police excessive use of force.
Regional Cooperation Minister Esawi Frej said that "faced with attempted murder, assailants should be shot to save lives, not to take [the attackers'] lives when they no longer pose a threat."
The policemen's conduct as seen in the video "expresses an indifference to human life that should be investigated," he said.
Joint Arab List MK Aida Touma-Suleiman was cited in loval media as saying that the policemen "executed the man when he no longer posed a threat… a terrible crime. This is the reality that occupation creates."
JAL MK Ofer Cassif also called the shooting "an execution," adding: "Shooting an injured person lying on the ground when he is no longer a danger, regardless of his actions, is a war crime."
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