A 13-year-old Israeli girl died after being repeatedly stabbed by a Palestinian terrorist who entered her bedroom in the settlement of Kiryat Arba this morning. Another man was also seriously wounded in the terror attack.
The victim, Hallel Yaffa Ariel, was taken to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem unconscious, not breathing and in critical condition, where doctors said they were unable to save her.
A 31-year-old civilian guard was also seriously wounded in the terror attack, suffering from multiple stab wounds and shooting injuries. According to reports, it appears the man was accidentally shot by other guards in an effort to neutralise the attacker.
The terrorist has been identified by the Palestinian health ministry as Muhammad Nasser Tarayah, aged 19, from Bani Naim.
A picture released by the IDF showed the bedroom with blood smeared on beds and the floor. According to initial reports, the attacker jumped over the fence of the settlement – a breach that sent an alert to the IDF and civilian security guards in the area – and broke into the girl’s bedroom.
A paramedic who arrived at the scene said he found the girl and the man lying on the ground.
Paramedic Devora Aviad said: “The girl was unconscious, without a pulse and not breathing. She had a number of penetrating wounds on her upper body. We loaded her onto the ambulance while performing CPR. Her condition was very serious. The second victim we loaded into the ambulance and gave him life-saving first aid. He was fully conscious, speaking with us throughout the ride [to the hospital]”.
Paramedics said the wife of the man is a volunteer paramedic and helped treat her husband’s wounds. Hospital officials later said he had been upgraded to moderate condition and was out of life-threatening danger.
Since September 2015, 35 Israelis and four foreign nationals have been killed in stabbing, shooting, and car-ramming terror attacks, and almost 500 wounded across Israel and the West Bank. Over 200 Palestinians have been killed, the vast majority in the act of terror.
