Israeli soldier wounded in Huwara terror attack

An Israel Defense Forces soldier was lightly wounded in a Palestinian stabbing attack in the village of Huwara, near Nablus in Samaria, on Thursday.

The terrorist was shot dead at the scene.

The victim, a man in his 20s, was taken to hospital fully conscious and in stable condition.

The Israeli military recently upgraded the road infrastructure in Huwara to increase security for Israelis driving on Route 60, the highway that runs through the village.

It comes after a series of Palestinian terrorist attacks taking advantage of the congestion that slows down vehicles entering the area, including the murder of brothers Hallel Yaniv, 21, and Yagel Yaniv, 19—Israelis shot by a Palestinian terrorist as they sat in traffic on Feb. 26.

Dual Israeli-U.S. citizen David Stern, 41, narrowly survived a shooting on March 19 while he was driving through Huwara with his wife on their way to Jerusalem.

Two Israeli soldiers were wounded in a drive-by shooting in the village on March 25. A few days later, dozens of Arabs stoned cars traveling through Huwara bearing Israeli license plates.

A public opinion poll conducted in early March showed that 71% of Palestinians support the terrorist murder of the Yaniv brothers. Only 21% of those surveyed were against it and similar armed attacks.

In response, the number of lanes on Route 60 at Einabus Square in Huwara was doubled, from two to four. The IDF also removed a traffic circle at Yitzhar Junction that had been built as a traffic safety measure. Both projects are aimed at increasing speeds through the terror-stronghold village until the completion of a bypass road.

Also, a large number of IDF personnel have been deployed to the area and 13 new defensive positions were built to discourage attacks and to reduce response times in the event they take place.

The IDF’s Samaria Brigade has also bolstered security inspections, including the deployment of additional checkpoint barriers.