Dateline Kiryat Arba, Israel — A 13-year-old girl died this morning after being stabbed repeatedly by a Palestinian assailant who had entered her bedroom in the West Bank settlement of Kiryat Arba. Another man was seriously wounded in the terror attack.
Hallel Yaffa Ariel was rushed to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem unconscious, not breathing and in critical condition. Doctors said they were unable to save her.
The assailant was shot and killed, the Israel Defense Forces said.
A 31-year-old man also suffered multiple stab wounds and shooting injuries in the attack, according to rescue and hospital officials.
It appears the man, a civilian guard responding to the attack, was accidentally shot by other guards in an effort to neutralize the terrorist, according to initial reports.
The Palestinian health ministry identified him as Muhammad Nasser Tarayrah, 17, from Bani Naim, adjacent to Kiryat Arba.
Local officials said the home lies on the edge in the Ramat Mamre neighborhood, adjacent to a fence surrounding the settlement. A picture released by the IDF showed the bedroom with blood smeared on beds and the floor.
According to an initial account, the attacker jumped the fence — a breach that sent an alert to the IDF and civilian security guards in the area — and broke into the girl’s bedroom, where she was sleeping.
Forces searching for the cause of the breach heard screams coming from the house and raced in to find the girl with multiple stab wounds in her bed, according to Channel 10. One of the guards hurried to her to provide first aid and was jumped by the attacker who managed to stab him.
The girl’s father and other guards fired shots at the attacker, killing him, and wounding the responding guard.
