Israel detains a Palestinian teenager carrying a knife near the West Bank town of Hebron

Israel denounces an armed attack against a checkpoint in the surroundings of Tulkarem

November 18 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Israeli Army has confirmed this Friday the arrest of a Palestinian teenager who was carrying a knife in the surroundings of the West Bank city of Hebron, in the middle of a Jewish pilgrimage to the Tomb of the Patriarchs for a religious holiday.

The Israeli Army has specified in a message on its official account on the social network Twitter that the teenager was “identified” after “raising suspicions” at one of the entrances to the town of Kiryat Arba.

“The forces carried out a search and found a knife. The young man has been arrested and handed over to the security forces for investigation,” he said, before stressing that “there has been no attack with a knife” and that the arrest was carried out “without shots being fired”.

The incident came as thousands of Jews prepare to celebrate Shabbat in Hebron to mark the annual Torah reading about Abraham’s purchase of land in the area to bury his wife, Sarah. , according to the newspaper ‘The Times of Israel’.

The Tomb of the Patriarchs, known to Muslims as the Mosque of Abraham, is the place that houses, according to Jewish and Islamic traditions, the twin tombs where three important biblical couples are buried: Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, and Jacob. and read.

On the other hand, the Israeli Army has indicated that armed Palestinians have opened fire against a checkpoint located in the outskirts of the West Bank city of Tulkarem, an event that has resulted in no casualties. At the moment there is no claim of authorship.

Tensions have increased in recent months in the West Bank after the latest attacks against Israelis, which have left more than 20 dead. In addition, Israeli security forces have detained nearly 2,000 suspects in numerous raids in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

In addition, Israeli forces have killed more than 200 Palestinians so far this year, including 144 in the West Bank and East Jerusalem — including 50 in the Jenin area — more than 50 in the Gaza Strip and four on of Israel, according to data collected by the Palestinian news agency WAFA.