Daijiworld Media Network - Jerusalem

Jerusalem, Sep 13: In a second violent incident in Jerusalem this week, a Palestinian hotel employee stabbed two guests at Kibbutz Tzuba on Friday, leaving one man critically wounded and another seriously injured, according to reports by the Associated Press (AP).

The attacker, a resident of Shuafat in East Jerusalem, worked in the hotel’s kitchen and allegedly entered the dining area before launching the assault. The victims, men aged approximately 50 and 25, were stabbed in the torso. Israeli paramedics confirmed that the older man is in critical condition, while the younger was hospitalized with serious injuries.

Israeli police have labelled the incident a militant attack. Authorities said the assailant was subdued by an off-duty police officer and the hotel’s dining manager before being taken into custody. Three others suspected of aiding him have also been arrested.

This attack follows an earlier incident in the same week, where two Palestinians from the West Bank opened fire at a Jerusalem bus stop, killing six people. That assault was later claimed by Hamas.

The wave of violence comes amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, triggered by Hamas’ October 7, 2023, assault on Israeli territory. The prolonged conflict has resulted in tens of thousands of Palestinian deaths and has sharply escalated tensions across Israel, Jerusalem, and the occupied West Bank.

Authorities are continuing to investigate both incidents amid heightened security alerts across the region.