Terrorist Attack Against Israeli Troops Thwarted

IDF Photo

(IDF) A female soldier thwarted a terrorist attack against IDF forces, around 15.00. The female terrorist, who was armed with a knife, was stopped at the Harwah Checkpoint, located near the city of Nablus. When questioned by authorities as to her intentions, the woman drew the knife she was carrying. The incident ended with no injuries to both the female terrorist and to the soldiers guarding the check-post. After an initial investigation by IDF forces, it was discovered the female terrorist planned on killing an IDF soldier manning the check-post.

The arresting soldier, Corporal Shani Kohen, age 19, is a soldier in the Tauz battalion, a part of the Military Police. She was the first to notice the suspicious Palestinian woman. "I told her not to approach me", she remembered. "I asked her a few questions and she refused to answer and began approaching me. She was nervous, shaking and called out to me to come near her. I understood something was amiss. At that point I told the security officers to keep an eye on her." The Palestinian woman then began running towards the troops, drawing the knife. The Corporal reacted quickly. She directed her weapon, aiming at the female terrorist. "A Palestinian man, whom we had been checking before her, began interfering, and positioned himself between the troops and the Palestinian woman. He then shouted ‘Don’t hurt her’ and explained to us she was mentally unwell", she explained.

"At that moment, I didn’t really digest what had happened. I remembered the operational training I partook in and quickly implemented what I had learnt." Shani credits the positive outcome of this incident to the immense operational training she received. "They taught us how to operate and behave during incidents such as this although it is certainly different during the actual event. You try to do your possible best. I believe that every one of us could do this just as well."