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Elad attack: 2 Palestinian suspects arrested

May 8, 2022

Israeli security forces say they have arrested two Palestinians suspected of carrying out a deadly attack in the town of Elad last week. The detentions come after a massive manhunt.

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Police at the scene of the attack in Elad
Two suspects have been arrested following Thursday's attack in Elad, an ultra-Orthodox cityImage: Ahmad Gharabli/AFP/Getty Images

Israeli police said Sunday that security forces arrested two Palestinian men suspected of killing three people and wounding four more in a stabbing and axe attack in the city of Elad on Thursday, Israel's Independence Day.

The two men, aged 19 and 20, were captured near Elad, an ultra-Orthodox city some 25 kilometers (16 miles) east of Tel Aviv, police said.

Large manhunt

A joint statement by police, the military and the Shin Bet internal security agency said the men, said to be from Jenin in the West Bank, were caught near a quarry.

The men were taken into custody when a major manhunt by special forces and commando units using helicopters and other means was launched following the attack in Elad.

Wave of violence

The attack was the latest in a series of deadly assaults in Israel in recent weeks that have killed 17 people. 

Nearly 30 Palestinians have also died in violence since March. Most of those killed had carried out attacks or were involved in confrontations with Israeli forces in the West Bank. Rights groups have accused Israel of using excessive force, leading to occasional deaths of apparently innocent bystanders.

Israeli-Palestinian tensions have risen amid recent violence at a major holy site in Jerusalem sacred to Jews and Muslims.

The Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam, which is built on a hilltop that is the holiest site for Jews, who refer to it as the Temple Mount, has seen several recent clashes between Palestinians and Israeli police.

tj/sms (dpa, AP)