
The ISA and Israel Police announced today that the stabbing incident involving a 70-year-old woman in her Jerusalem home two weeks ago is a terrorist attack.
The elderly woman lived on Koresh Street in Jerusalem in mid-December. The terrorist worked as a cleaner in the building and had prior acquaintance with the victim, having been asked to perform repairs in her home.
Officers arriving at the scene closed the area and police investigators began collecting evidence. Initial investigations suggested the incident was not criminally motivated. As a result, a joint investigation was launched by the ISA and the Central Unit of the Jerusalem District Police.
Hours later, the terrorist, a 60-year-old resident of Silwan, was arrested following an intensive field investigation by security forces. His arrest was extended by the court and the details were under a gag order until this morning.
From the investigation, it emerged that the day before the attack, and given his acquaintance with the victim due to his work as a cleaner in her residential building, the terrorist visited the victim's home as part of repair services she needed.
In the evening, after telling her that screws were needed to fix the problem, the woman paid the terrorist 100 shekels, and he committed to returning the next morning.
He revealed in the investigation that he had already decided to carry out an attack that day. The next day, he entered the woman's house and began strangling her forcefully until he believed she was dead, then started to walk towards the door to escape.
However, he realized he had forgotten his walking cane and returned to the center of the apartment. At this point, he saw the woman was still alive, so he took a knife from a drawer in the apartment and began stabbing her upper body repeatedly before leaving the scene. He also stole jewelry and other valuables.
Despite her severe injury, the victim managed to call her daughter to inform her of her situation, and emergency services were rushed to the scene.
After life-saving initial treatment at her home, the victim was evacuated to the hospital in serious condition but conscious, while the fleeing terrorist made his way to Judea and Samaria (aka the 'West Bank'), stopping at a jewelry store in East Jerusalem to sell the stolen jewelry.
Investigators from the Central Unit of the Jerusalem Police managed to locate and retrieve the jewelry at the store during the ongoing investigation.
Today, the terrorist was brought for another remand hearing in which a prosecutor's declaration was filed with the intention to indict him by the Jerusalem District Prosecution in the coming days, following the completion of the investigation and the establishment of evidential grounds for his terrorist actions.