Israeli forces hunt down Ariel attacker in Nablus

Israeli forces on Monday launched a further manhunt in the West Bank city of Nablus for the man who allegedly stabbed and killed an Israeli rabbi at a bus stop outside the settlement of Ariel, near Salfit.

Israeli forces have been searching for the attacker since the incident earlier this month.

Witnesses to the search said that the Israeli military stormed the northern mountainous region and raided a number of houses in Khallet al-Iman in Nablus and set up several checkpoints in the area.

They added that Israeli forces arrested 53-year-old Nasser Asi, the uncle of stabbing suspect Abdelhakim Asi, whose whereabouts remain unknown.

Preliminary investigations have identified 19-year-old Abdelhakim Adel Asi as the perpetrator of a stabbing attack that killed Israeli settler Itamar Ben Gal on 5th February.

Local sources told the Palestinian Information Center that Israeli forces also arrested Abdelhakim's brother Ya'acoub and cousin Ibrahim during dawn raids in Nablus on Sunday morning.

Twitter Post

In the wake of the stabbing, video footage emerged on social media purporting to show the 19-year-old exiting a car and approaching Ben Gal before stabbing him and fleeing the scene.

Tensions have been running high between settlers and Palestinian locals since January, with a string of attacks and violent outbursts that have claimed numerous lives.