IDF captures 16-year-old terrorist who stabbed an off-duty soldier in Jericho

( JPost )

The IDF captured a teenager who stabbed an off-duty IDF soldier in Jericho on Sunday, moderately wounding him.

One person was wounded in a terror stabbing attack in the area of Al-Auja, a Palestinian village located on Route 90 near Jericho, in the West Bank, the IDF said on Sunday morning.

A 24-year-old was moderately wounded in the attack and has been evacuated to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem to receive medical treatment, Magen David Adom said.

According to Israeli media, the 24-year-old is an ultra-Orthodox (haredi) Jew from Betar Illit.

The 24-year-old was stabbed from behind after stopping at a shopping complex near Al-Auja. The terrorist, who is reported to be 16 years old, fled the scene immediately after, prompting a massive ongoing IDF and Israel Police manhunt.

After hours of searching, the IDF apprehended him in the Al-Auja area.

IDF discovers teenage terrorist after manhunt in Jericho

Shlomo Hanaya, the victim's brother, told KAN Reshet Bet that the fact that his brother was only moderately wounded in the terror attack is a "great miracle."

"My brother was [standing] outside the car, while his wife and children were inside," Shlomo said. "It's a great miracle."

He added that his brother is an IDF soldier who was vacationing in the area with his family. "He stopped to buy cigarettes on the way, and the terrorist was simply waiting for him," Shlomo said.

Hamas praised the terror attack in a Sunday statement, claiming that it came in response to settler violence in the West Bank and "escalating desecration" of Al-Aqsa.

Authorities established blockades in the area. A security source told KAN News that the IDF blocked the entrances to Al-Auja and the nearby village of Fasayil, as well as some of the entrances to Jericho.

IDF soldiers questioned the suspect's family and are conducting searches around the terrorist's home.

Several IDF units, including military aircraft and soldiers from the Duvdevan undercover counter-terror unit, Nitzan 636 Unit, and Jordan Valley Division, have been deployed to aid the search. The Civil Administration and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) have joined the IDF in its search, going from house to house to locate the the terrorist.

The IDF is in ongoing contact with residents and security officials in the area.

Police added that officers from the Jordan Valley Station and criminal investigators from the Judea and Samaria District Police have begun to collect evidence at the scene as part of their investigation into the attack.