Israeli Man Dies of Wounds Sustained in Jerusalem Stabbing Attack

An Israeli man in his 30s who was stabbed in an attack in Jerusalem's Old City succumbed to his wounds Sunday night. The victim was identified as Adiel Coleman, a married father of four children from the West Bank settlement of Kochav Hashachar.

Coleman was seriously wounded Sunday afternoon when the assailant, 28-year-old Abed al-Rahman Bani Fadel, from the West Bank village of Aqraba, stabbed the victim in his upper body on Haggay St., near the entrance to the Temple Mount. 

According to eyewitnesses, Coleman, a security guard who was unarmed and not on duty at the time of the attack, tried to fend off the assailant until police forces who were in the area arrived at the scene. The security forces then shot Bani Fadel, who died of his wounds. The victim was taken to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in serious condition. 

Local residents told Haaretz that the assailant, a father of two children, was an introverted man who worked in a warehouse. His brother and uncle are part of Hamas' leadership in the West Bank, though he was not considered to be an active member in the organization. 

The Israeli military said he had no background of security offenses, and he was not on the radar of the Shin Bet security service or Israel Police. He had a five-day permit to enter Israel, which began Sunday, to find work.

The attack comes two days after two Israeli soldiers were killed in a West Bank car-ramming attack.

Hamas commended the attack in a statement, saying it commemorated 100 days since U.S. President Donald Trump declared Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Saturday that Israel would demolish the home of the Palestinian responsible for the attack.

Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on his Twitter account that he holds Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas responsible for the attack.

Following the attack, the IDF may recommend to the government to change the security barrier’s route in the area of the attack, military sources said. If the barrier is ultimately moved it will split the village of Barta’a in two.