Three Israelis were killed and another was seriously wounded in a stabbing attack in the West Bank settlement of Halamish on Friday night when a terrorist broke into their home and began stabbing the family as they ate their Shabbat dinner.
Yosef Salomon, aged 70, and his children Chaya Salomon, aged 46, and Elad Salomon, aged 36, were killed by 19-year-old Palestinian Omar al-Abed after he entered the settlement and attacked them in their home as they were celebrating the birth of a new grandchild.
Al-Abed, who is from a nearby village, arrived in the settlement on foot armed with a knife, climbed a fence and chose the last house on a street near it.
He broke a window and entered the home, surprising a family of about 10 inside as they were finishing their dinner, and launched his stabbing spree. During the attack, another daughter hid several of the grandchildren in one of the rooms, where she called police and began shouting that a terrorist was inside the home.
The terrorist was incapacitated by an off-duty soldier, who shot him with a single bullet to the stomach. He was then taken for treatment.
In initial questioning, al-Abed said he bought the knife two days before the stabbing, and wanted to commit a terror attack because of the tensions surrounding the Temple Mount since the 14 July attack at the holy site.
On Sunday, the thousands attended the funeral of the victims, which took place in the central Israeli city of Modiin.
Yosef’s wife, Tova, aged 68, was also seriously wounded in the attack, but was released from hospital to be able to join the mourners at the funeral.
Minister for the Middle East, Rt. Hon. Alistair Burt MP on Saturday condemned the “horrific attack” and said he deplored the violence taking place across Jerusalem and the West Bank. Click here to read the Middle East Minister’s full statement on the recent violence.
A number of violent clashes have taken place in Jerusalem and the wider region, over the placement of metal detectors for Muslim worshippers at the Temple Mount. Throughout the week, Muslim clerics and Waqf officials began praying outside the Temple Mount in protest of the installation.
Over one hundred people have been injured in clashes and firebombs, stones and fireworks have been launched at police officers in the Silwan and Issawaiya neighbourhoods of East Jerusalem. Five Palestinians were killed over the weekend in clashes with the police.
