An Israeli paratrooper who was caught in the midst of a shooting attack in east Jerusalem on Saturday, neutralized the Palestinian terrorist with his weapon despite being seriously wounded by the 13-year-old attacker.
The shooting occurred in the neighborhood of Silwan, located in the City of David, and two people were severely wounded in the incident. The attack took place less than a day after another attacker murdered seven outside a synagogue in the capital, in the deadliest attack in the city since 2008.
According to the military, Lieutenant N. “acted calmly and engaged the terrorist, neutralizing him, and was only then evacuated to the hospital.”
Lt. Col. Almog Rotem, a paratrooper brigade commander where the officer is serving, released a statement for his troops, writing, “Lieutenant N. acted proficiently and prevented a more severe attack from taking place. He acted in accordance with expectations, and neutralized the enemy while defending others when wounded.”
Rotem wished for the officer’s quick recovery. “He showed us all what it means to be a soldier even when we're outside the barracks. We’ll continue to operate and prepare for any scenario where we’re needed.”
A person close to the officer called the officer a "hero," who acted "bravely in the face of a terror attack and prevented it from escalating further.”
Chief Superintendent Dvir Tamim, head of the Jerusalem District Police Shalem station that has launched a probe into the attack, said that “the terrorist saw a group of five Jews and began firing at them. Two of them were wounded and evacuated to the hospital, while the others – who carried weapons – helped neutralize the terrorist.”
The teenage terrorist was wounded and evacuated to a hospital as well, with details still unclear as to how he acquired the weapon to carry out the shooting. The 13-year-old teen’s family denied his involvement in the attack despite footage of him in taking part in the attack being released.
“His presence at the scene was by chance,” the family told Palestinian media. In a notebook belonging to the youth, he had written: “God, give me victory or let me become a Shahid (martyr). Forgive me mom, you’ll be proud of me.”
The terrorist’s brother said: “He went over to see his friend. He was a normal boy that didn’t plan any terror attacks, it has nothing to do with us. The gun isn’t his or ours. My brother is a little kid, it doesn’t make sense for him to kill people, he was at the wrong place at the wrong time.”