A career IDF soldier who was wounded Sunday morning in a stabbing attack near Al-Auja in the Jordan Valley is in stable condition and is expected to undergo surgery, his brothers said from Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem.
Elchanan Hanania’s brothers, Shlomo and Yosef, said he had been traveling with his pregnant wife for a family vacation in northern Israel to celebrate their wedding anniversary when the attack occurred.
According to his brothers, Hanania stopped his vehicle to buy cigarettes when the attacker approached him from behind and stabbed him three times in the shoulder and twice in the back before fleeing the scene.
“We hope they catch him and give him the death penalty. Am Yisrael Chai," the brothers said, calling on security forces to apprehend the terrorist as quickly as possible.
The stabbing was reported to Magen David Adom at 9:18 a.m. MDA paramedics and IDF personnel treated Hanania at the scene for a penetrating injury before evacuating him to Shaare Zedek Medical Center.
MDA emergency medic Gal Shani said Hanania was fully conscious when emergency teams reached him.
“We received a report about a man who had been stabbed," Shani said. “We met the wounded man, who was fully conscious and suffering from a stab wound to his upper body. We provided medical treatment and evacuated him in an intensive care ambulance to the hospital in moderate condition and fully conscious."
According to a preliminary police investigation, Hanania had stopped his vehicle on Route 90 near a shopping center and was standing outside when the suspect attacked him from behind, stabbed him and fled.
Following the attack, IDF and police forces launched a large-scale manhunt for the assailant. The IDF imposed roadblocks around Al-Auja and in the surrounding area while troops conducted searches.
In a later update, the military said troops were continuing to search the Al-Auja and Jericho areas. Soldiers were questioning suspects and gathering intelligence in an effort to locate the attacker.
The IDF said it was maintaining continuous contact with local residents and security officials throughout the operation.
Police said officers from the Jordan Valley station and forensic investigators from the Judea and Samaria District had opened an investigation and were collecting evidence at the scene.