Israeli Soldier Stabbed Near Auja; Family Describes Attack and Medical Condition

Elhanan Hanania, a 24-year-old soldier from Beitar Illit, was moderately wounded in a stabbing attack on Sunday morning near the village of Auja in the Jordan Valley. His brothers, Yosef and Shlomo, visited him at Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem and recounted the harrowing incident and his current medical state. Elhanan had taken a special leave from his base to celebrate his wedding anniversary with his pregnant wife, their two young daughters, and his father-in-law on a family trip in Tiberias. On the way, the family stopped by the roadside to buy cigarettes, where the attacker ambushed Elhanan as he turned his back, stabbing him multiple times in the upper body.

The brothers described how Elhanan fought the assailant despite the shock and the presence of his family, including his eldest daughter who witnessed the entire attack. His father-in-law intervened, causing the attacker to flee. Elhanan sustained a shoulder fracture and internal bleeding and was treated initially by Magen David Adom and IDF medical teams before being admitted to the trauma unit at Shaare Zedek. He remains in moderate but stable condition, conscious but in pain and struggling to communicate.

Following the attack, Israeli Defense Forces launched an extensive manhunt involving special forces and air support, imposing roadblocks around Auja. The stabbing is part of a recent surge in terror incidents in the West Bank, including a recent killing of a terrorist who attempted to stab an IDF soldier near Jenin. The military maintains close coordination with local residents and security agencies during the search for the attacker.