JERUSALEM — The Israel Defense Forces on Wednesday, Oct. 12, tightened security around the city of Nablus in the West Bank, following the killing of two soldiers in Palestinian terrorist attacks over the past week.
Staff Sgt. Ido Baruch (JNS)
The IDF Spokesperson Unit said in a statement that “as part of increased security activity in the Nablus sector, it has been decided to block roads and traffic to the city and from it.” On the few roads that will remain open, it added, “meticulous security checks will occur.”
The decision represents a departure from the IDF policy of conducting pinpoint counter-terrorism operations targeting security suspects while not interfering in the daily routines of Palestinians.
The move comes after IDF soldier Staff Sgt. Ido Baruch was killed on Tuesday, Oct. 11, in a drive-by shooting near the community of Shavei Shomron, and amid an ongoing manhunt for the Palestinian who this weekend shot dead IDF Military Police Sgt. Noa Lazar, 18, at the Shuafat crossing in northeastern Jerusalem.
The suspect in the Lazar killing was named as Uday Tamimi, 22, from Shuafat.
Lazar’s funeral was Monday, Oct. 10.
Doctors at Hadassah Medical Center were continuing to treat a security guard who was shot in the head during the latter attack.
The victim on Tuesday was named as 30-year-old David Morel, who made aliyah from Brazil and previously served in the IDF.
He was in serious and unstable condition after reportedly being put in a medically induced coma.
On Sunday, Oct. 9, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi visited the scene of Lazar’s shooting.
“We will need to learn from this incident and draw the appropriate conclusions in order to prevent incidents of this sort from repeating themselves in the future. This is our responsibility,” he said.
