Palestinian youths slain in deadly attack on Israeli police

Israeli police inspect the bodies of three Palestinians killed after allegedly attacking a group of Border Police, killing one and seriously injuring another, at Damascus Gate, the eastern entrance to Jerusalem’s Old City, on 3 February.Mahfouz Abu TurkAPA images

Israeli forces detain a youth during confrontations in Qabatiya on 4 February.

 Nedal EshtayahAPA images

Maureen Clare Murphy-4 February 2016

Three young Palestinians allegedly attacked a group of Israeli Border Police outside Jerusalem’s Old City on Wednesday, killing one and seriously wounding another before they were shot dead.

The group were armed with guns, knives and improvised explosives, according to Israeli reports.

Police told the Reuters news agency that at least one of the attackers opened fire with an automatic rifle.

The slain Israeli officer was identified as Hadar Cohen, 19, who, like the other officer injured on Wednesday,had not completed basic training. The two women were on their first operational deployment when they were attacked, according to the Tel Aviv newspaper Haaret

Police told the paper that the patrol noticed two of three young Palestinians “sitting on a bench near Damascus Gate and asked them to identify themselves.”

One of the officers told Haaretz that the two appeared frightened.

“One terrorist handed over his ID card, while the other drew his gun and fired at the policewomen,” Haaretzreported.

“The Border Police shot and killed the two assailants. At this point the third gunman approached and opened fire at the detail, which shot and killed him as well,” the paper added.

A deputy police commander told the paper that “The assumption is that the Border Police combatants weren’t the assailants’ target,” and a much larger-scale attack was planned.

Palestinian attackers came from one village

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