Lone wolf attacks are seen as less severe than those carried out with an organization behind it. The lone wolf usually strikes with what is described as a cold weapon and has no plan of escape.
But a string of lethal terror attacks in recent months, the last one coming earlier this week at the Ariel industrial zone in the West Bank, prove how dangerous they can be.
An attacker does not need much to carry out his plan. He can pick up a kitchen knife or take over any car and is ready to go. Now it's just a matter of finding a target.
Highway 5 runs through the West Bank from east to west, Highway 60 runs through the West Bank from south to north, and the Old City of Jerusalem. Look for most of the lone wolf attacks, this is where you will find them.
This is where there is most contact between Israelis and Palestinians. The main roads are used by both Israeli and Palestinian drivers and have many army posts along them which can become possible targets.
The same is true for the Old City of Jerusalem with the abundance of police forces present and Jewish worshippers making their way by the shortest route to the Western Wall, Which passes by the volatile Damascus Gate and Muslim quarter.
Is there any way of stopping such attacks? Not really.
The Israeli security establishment may be the best in the world when it comes to tracking potential terrorists but even they cannot enter the mind of a young man who wakes up in the morning and decides to kill the first Israeli he sees. At this stage, their success or failure depends on how quickly they can respond on site.
As long as there is friction between the two populations, lone wolf attacks will continue, and as we have seen, knives and cars can be just as lethal as guns and explosives.
The story was reprinted with permission from i24NEWS