Terrorist attacks in Israel drop to lowest tally in over a year

(JTA) — The number of terrorist attacks perpetrated in Israel dropped in August to 93 — the lowest monthly tally on record since March 2015 and the first dip since then below the 100-incident mark.

In Jerusalem, the number of incidents in August dropped by nearly half, to 13 from the 24 in July, the Shin Bet security agency said in its latest monthly report, which was published this week. Overall, the number of terrorist attacks dropped in August by 8 percent from the 101 incidents recorded in July.

Seven Israelis were injured in the August attacks — three of them were stabbed. Another two were wounded by firebombs. The remaining victims were injured by an explosive charge and the hurling of stones. Three of the terrorist incidents were mortar round launchings from the Gaza Strip, which did not result in injury.

August saw no fatalities from terrorist attacks.

In July, Rabbi Michael Mark was murdered in a terrorist attack in the West Bank settlement of Otniel that also injured three others.

In Israel, the West Bank and Gaza attacks began increasing in August 2015, when 171 were documented, and rose sharply in September and October of that year, with 223 and 620 attacks recorded in those months, respectively. The overall number of attacks decreased to 326 in November, 246 in December, 169 in January, 155 in February and 123 in March.

On Oct. 9, two people were killed and at least six injured when a Palestinian terrorist opened fire on a light rail stop in Jerusalem.

On Wednesday, a Palestinian child was killed in the southern Gaza Strip in an incident that a Palestinian medical source blamed on Israeli troops, but which Israel said was not the action of any of its forces.

Abdullah Nasser Atwa Abu Mdeif was shot in the back by a bullet on Tuesday evening in the al-Qarrara area east of Khan Yunis, Gaza Ministry of Health spokesperson Ashraf al-Qidra told the Maan news agency, adding his death was from Israel Defense Forces fire.

Yoav Mordechai, the IDF coordinator of government activities in the territories, wrote in a statement that the boy likely had died from a stray bullet shot during a wedding in the area.

Hundreds of Palestinians have died in clashes with security forces following the escalation in terrorist attacks last year. Many of them were killed while perpetrating terrorist attacks. At least 30 Palestinians have died in the Gaza Strip over the past two weeks in border clashes with Israeli troops or in retaliatory strikes for the launching of projectiles into Israel, Maan reported.