Ambulance (illustrative)
Ambulance (illustrative)Uri Lenz/Flash 90

A man in his early 40s was stabbed just south of Jerusalem at approximately 11:15 Tuesday morning on Route 60 near the tunnel checkpoint.

The suspected stabber is reportedly an Arab and a resident of the Palestinian Authority.

Police say the motive of the attack is under investigation.

MDA emergency first responders were called to the scene and provided first aid to the victim. The man was subsequently evacuated to Shaarei Tzedek Hospital in Jerusalem

The stabbing victim is conscious, and his injuries have been described as light.

"When we arrived at the scene, we saw a man roughly 40-years old pacing about, fully conscious, suffering from stab wounds across his upper torso," said Shlomi Tadgi and Aharon Adler, MDA team members who responded to the stabbing.

"We provided him with first aid, including bandaging the wound and stopping the bleeding. He was then evacuated to a hospital in stable, light condition."

According to a police investigation into the attack, the victim had taken his car to a mechanic in the Arab village of al-Walaja just south of Jerusalem. A road to Gush Etzion goes through al-Walaja and is often used by Israelis when Route 60 is jammed.

After work on the car was completed, the driver left the village. On his way out, he spotted an Arab hitchhiker waiting by the exit of the village for a ride. The victim offered him a ride, which the hitchhiker accepted.

During the drive on Route 60, the Arab hitchhiker stabbed the driver, then fled the vehicle.