2 Knife Attacks in Jerusalem Continue Surge of Violence
The two attacks happened within several hours of one another.
JERUSALEM— -- It was rush hour near the city's crowded central bus station when a 24-year-old from East Jerusalem lashed out -- stabbing a 70-year-old Israeli woman today, according to Israeli Police.
According to the Israeli Police spokesman, she was injured and taken to the hospital.
SWAT and emergency teams responded, and a chaotic scene unfolded in the city's biggest transportation hub.
The sirens near the bus station erupted as the scene of another attack was just getting cleaned up.
The alleged attacker ran down the stairs towards Damascus Gate, the entrance to the Old City's Muslim Quarter and was shot when he got to the bottom of the stairs, knife in hand, police said. That person did not injure anyone with his knife.
The two attacks happened within several hours of one another, after a relatively calm day in Jerusalem on the heels of Tuesday's violence.
Tuesday morning began with four attacks unfolding one after another within 90 minutes. As sporadic clashes kicked off in the afternoon, the day ended with six people killed, three Palestinians and three Israelis. Two of the Palestinians were attackers, and one a protester in the West Bank. The Palestinian Red Crescent said more than 300 were injured in clashes in the West Bank and at the Gaza border, and Israeli Police said more than two dozen Israelis were injured in the attacks in Jerusalem and Ra'anana, Israel.
In response to Tuesday's escalation, Israel deployed soldiers on the streets of Jerusalem today to support the local police force and set up checkpoints around Palestinian neighborhoods.
When ABC News asked Police Superintendent Micky Rosenfeld if the increased police presence and crackdown would further inflame the situation, Rosenfeld answered, "Absolutely not."