Israeli Troops Sent to West Bank

ADAM, West Bank (AP) -- Israel's military on Friday searched the West Bank village of a Palestinian teen-ager who broke into a settlement home and stabbed three Israelis, including one who later died from his wounds.

The military said it detained four Palestinians for questioning and set up security inspections at entrances to Kauber, the assailant's village, north of Jerusalem. The attacker, identified as Mohammed Tareq Dar Yousef, 17, by family members was shot and killed at the scene Thursday night.

Blood stains were still visible outside the home of the Israeli victim Friday as relatives and friends gathered nearby.

Daniel Nadav said he rushed to his neighbor's home after hearing screaming. He said he saw 31-year-old Yotam Ovadia "covered in blood ... walking slowly toward a car and then falling." Nadav said he then saw "the terrorist stabbing another neighbor." He said the attacker then ran toward him with a knife and tried to stab him.

Nadav said he kicked the attacker in the leg and then got out of his way before another neighbor arrived and shot him dead.

Ovadia later died in a hospital.

Hamas, the militant group that rules Gaza, issued a statement praising the attack but did not claim responsibility. Spokesman Fawzi Barhoum called it a "brave operation that responds to the daily ugly crimes the occupation commits against our people."

Forces measured the attacker's house ahead of its demolition, the military said. Israel typically demolishes the homes of Palestinian attackers calling it a deterrent measure, but critics consider the policy collective punishment.

The settlement located about 5 kilometers (3 miles) from Jerusalem is also called Geva Binyamin. Israel captured the West Bank and east Jerusalem in the 1967 war and has since built dozens of settlements there.

Much of the international community views the settlements as illegal and an obstacle to peace. Israel says the fate of settlements must be resolved through peace talks.

Israelis have faced a wave of Palestinian attacks, mostly stabbings, on civilians and soldiers over the past two years but these types of assaults have declined recently.

(KA)