Pisgat Ze'ev stabbings

According to security camera footage of the attack, it went as follows:{{cite news |date=9 November 2015 |title=Boy hurt in Jerusalem stabbing gets new bike from police |work=The Times of Israel |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/boy-hurt-in-jerusalem-stabbing-gets-new-bike-from-police/}}

Hassan and Ahmed equipped themselves with knives. In Pisgat Ze'ev, they found Yosef Ben-Shalom, a 20-year-old male security guard who they chased after with their knives drawn, and stabbed.{{cite news |others=Agence France-Presse |date=3 August 2016 |title=Israel approves jailing terrorists from age 12 |work=The Times of Israel |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-approves-jailing-terrorists-from-age-12/}} The guard fled, and they instead turned their attention to some nearby shops. Outside of a candy shop, they found Naor Shalev Ben-Ezra, a 13-year-old boy on a bicycle, who they stabbed.{{Citation needed|date=April 2025}} The boy sustained critical injuries. Another angle from the security camera footage shows Hassan running across a street.

Hassan was subsequently shot and killed, reportedly while advancing towards police with a knife in his hand.

Ahmad tried to escape the area, but was struck by a pursuing car and suffered serious head injuries.

Naor Shalev Ben-Ezra, the 13-year-old boy from Jerusalem, survived the attack, after had been critically injured by the cousins while he was riding his bike.{{cite web |last=TOI Staff |title=Jerusalem boy nearly killed in stabbing celebrates his bar mitzvah |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/jerusalem-boy-nearly-killed-in-stabbing-celebrates-his-bar-mitzvah/ |publisher=The Times of Israel |date=2015-12-17 |access-date=2023-11-25}} The knife had pierced his subclavian artery, causing severe bleeding that field medics struggled to control. Initially presumed dead upon arrival at Mount Scopus, the Hadassah medical team, led by Dr. Yoachim Shiffman, identified signs of life. Dr. Shiffman manually controlled the bleeding by inserting his fingers into the artery for 15 minutes. Vascular surgeon Ina Akopnick, racing against time, performed a crucial operation to close the truncated artery, aided by Professor Achmed Eid, Director of General Surgery at Hadassah Medical Center, who opened the chest cavity for the procedure. His gradual awakening in intensive care marked the beginning of his recovery journey.{{cite web|title=The Miracle of Naor|url=https://hadassahinternational.org/the-miracle-of-noar/|publisher=Hadassah International|date=2015-12-09|access-date=2023-11-25}}

Ben-Ezra's recovery was marked by significant celebration, attended by family, friends, Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem Meir Turgeman, media reporters, and David Dalfon, the first medical responder who played a crucial role in saving Ben-Ezra's life.

After recovering physically from the stabbing attack, Ben-Ezra faced significant emotional and psychological struggles. Despite a fastest physical recovery, Naor felt isolated and misunderstood. He described feeling emotionally dead, saying, "You are not treated, you are dead." This emotional turmoil led to a rapid decline in his well-being. Naor began using drugs, gambling, accruing debts at a young age, and generally struggling to function. Over time, however, he managed to return to a more stable life.{{cite news |last=Cohen |first=Elinor |title=The emotional death and life of Naor after his recovery from the attack |url=https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/r1chnvbx3 |newspaper=Ynet |date=2023-04-25 |access-date=2023-11-25 |language=he}}

The adult victim, Yosef Ben-Shalom, also suffered serious injuries, including damage to the lung and liver.

A viral video of the attack spread on social media. The two minute-long clip showed Ahmad laying on the street of Pisgat Ze'ev after being struck by a car. His legs were twisted behind him, and blood was coming out of his head as bystanders filmed using cell phones.{{cite news |last=The-Bedouin |first=Sami |date=20 November 2015 |title=The Child Ahmed Manasrah, Our Iconic Torture |work=The Arab Daily News |url=https://thearabdailynews.com/2015/11/20/25518/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160505170402/https://thearabdailynews.com/2015/11/20/25518/ |archive-date=5 May 2016}} A crowd surrounds him and shouts, "Die, son of a bitch" along other profanities in Hebrew. After about a minute, an ambulance arrives.

On October 14, 2015, Israeli police released CCTV footage from the incident, showing Hassan and Ahmed Manasra armed with knives and chasing a man. The video further depicted one of the attackers charging at a police officer before being shot. This release aimed to counter claims that the teenagers were targeted by authorities without cause.{{cite news |last1=Miller |first1=Sara |title=Police release footage of Pisgat Zeev terrorists with knives |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/police-release-footage-of-pisgat-zeev-terrorists-with-knives/ |access-date=2023-11-25 |work=The Times of Israel |date=2015-10-14}}

Abbas reacted strongly to the attack. On October 15, he gave a televised speech translated to English by The Jerusalem Post in which he lambasted the "Israeli aggression" and called for the "immediate positive interference by the international community before it is too late."{{cite news |date=15 October 2015 |title='Israel and its herd of settlers are terrorizing Palestine' |work=The Jerusalem Post |url=https://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Israel-and-its-herd-of-settlers-are-terrorizing-Palestine-426003}} He reiterated that the Palestinian side would not accept any changes to the "status quo" for the Temple Mount. He also mentioned "the execution of our children in cold blood as they did with the child Ahmed Manasra and other children from Jerusalem." In an English translation of Abbas' speech released by the PLO Abbas was quoted as saying Israel "shoots" Palestinian children "as they did with the child Ahmed Manasra," replacing the word "executions" with more moderate language.{{cite news |last1=Khoury |first1=Jack |date=6 November 2015 |title=Abbas Accuses Israel of 'Executing' 13-year-old |work=Haaretz |url=https://www.haaretz.com/2015-10-14/ty-article/.premium/abbas-accuses-israel-of-executing-13-year-old/0000017f-db84-db22-a17f-ffb527230000 |url-status=live |accessdate=6 November 2015 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220902230015/https://www.haaretz.com/2015-10-14/ty-article/.premium/abbas-accuses-israel-of-executing-13-year-old/0000017f-db84-db22-a17f-ffb527230000 |archive-date=2 September 2022}}

The speech was heavily criticized by the Israeli side for its inflammatory language and because Ahmed was still alive.{{cite news |last1=Friedson |first1=Yael |last2=Somfalvi |first2=Attila |date=15 October 2015 |title=IN PICTURES: 'Dead' 13-year-old terrorist alive and well |work=Ynet |url=https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4711817,00.html |accessdate=6 November 2015}}{{cite news |last=Eisenbud |first=Daniel Kleo Giosué |date=15 October 2015 |title=Video of Palestinian stabber proves Abbas' 'execution' victim still alive |work=The Jerusalem Post |url=https://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Photo-of-Palestinian-stabber-proves-Abbas-execution-victim-still-alive-426018 |accessdate=6 November 2015}}

Dr. Asher Salmon, the deputy director of the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem where Ahmed was treated, said that the boy was still alive and was in light-to-moderate condition. Photos of Manasra from the hospital were released to support his statements.{{cite news |last=Baker |first=Luke |date=14 October 2015 |title=Viral video puts Israelis and Palestinians at sharp odds |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-israel-palestinians-videos-idUSKCN0S91RF20151015 |accessdate=6 November 2015}}

Ahmad was indicted by the Jerusalem District Court on two counts of attempted murder{{cite web |last=Hanna |first=Megan |date=13 November 2015 |title=Rights Expert: Harsh interrogation of 13-year-old Palestinian boy 'may amount to torture' |url=https://mondoweiss.net/2015/11/interrogation-palestinian-torture/ |website=Mondoweiss}} and detained in a closed facility in the Galilee in northern Israel.

The defense argued that Ahmad did not physically carry out the stabbings, but that Hassan had, a claim contested by the prosecution. The judges noted that the accused had sought to stab any Jewish person they encountered and did not hesitate to attack a young boy near his home. Ahmad expressed regret for his actions during the trial, particularly concerning the harm to the young boy.{{cite web |last1=Kershner |first1=Isabel |title=Palestinian Teenager Is Sentenced to 12 Years for Jerusalem Stabbings |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/08/world/middleeast/palestinian-teenager-is-sentenced-to-12-years-for-jerusalem-stabbings.html |website=The New York Times |date=2016-11-07 |accessdate=2023-11-25}}

On November 8, 2015 a ten-minute long video was leaked to the media showing Israeli interrogators shouting at the visibly distressed Ahmad. The video shows him confessing to the crime which he later would recant. According to Brad Parker of the Defence for Children International - Palestine the video provided evidence of a violation of international juvenile standards found in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. He further claimed that the situation in the video might have amounted to torture.

Prosecutor Yuval Kedar said that it was irrelevant that Ahmad was a minor and that he should be prosecuted "to the fullest extent of the law."

In December 2015, Tareq Barghout, an Arab Israeli lawyer on Manasra's defense team, was arrested on suspicion of praising attackers and encouraging further attacks on Facebook. The court released Barghout and noted that the material was poorly translated from Arabic to Hebrew and that he had freedom of expression.{{cite web |title=Israel and The Occupied Territories |url=https://www.state.gov/report/custom/08e42a3179/ |website=U.S. Department of State}} Later in 2019, Barghout was convicted and sentenced to 13.5 years in prison for his involvement in several shooting attacks against Israelis in the West Bank, in collaboration with Zakaria Zubeidi.{{Cite news |last=TOI STAFF |title=East Jerusalem lawyer sentenced to 13.5 years in jail for shooting attacks |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/east-jerusalem-lawyer-sentenced-to-13-5-years-in-jail-for-shooting-attacks/ |access-date=2023-11-25 |publisher=The Times of Israel |date=2019-07-30}}

In May 2016, Ahmad was convicted on two counts of attempted murder, though no blood was found on the knife found in his possession,Ravit Hecht,[https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium.MAGAZINE-the-israeli-lawyer-who-defends-the-most-violent-fighters-against-the-occupation-1.7279876 'The Israeli Lawyer Who Defends the Most Violent Fighters Against the Occupation ,'] Haaretz 25 May 2019 and he was sentenced to 12 years in prison. His legal counsel, the Israeli attorney Lea Tsemel, called the conviction "surprising, unbalanced and problematic." She argued that it was Hassan that carried out the stabbings and that neither boy intended to kill anyone,{{cite web |last=Silver |first=Charlotte |date=10 May 2016 |title=Israeli court convicts boy who was mocked on video as he lay injured |url=https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/charlotte-silver/israeli-court-convicts-boy-who-was-mocked-video-he-lay-injured |website=The Electronic Intifada}} that they "just wanted to scare Jews so they’d stop killing Palestinians."{{cite news |date=11 May 2016 |title=Israel court convicts Palestinian boy of attempted murder |work=The Hindustan Times |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/world/israel-court-convicts-palestinian-boy-of-attempted-murder/story-Mcpyze6AuC7xRQohPV6SnN.html}}

Naor Ben-Ezra, the young victim, expressed disappointment that Manasra did not receive a life sentence, a sentiment echoed by his father, Shai, who lamented the impact of the attack on his son's adolescence and family life.{{cite news |last=Freidson |first=Yael |title=Young terror victim: It's a shame terrorist didn't get a life sentence |url=https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4875946,00.html |newspaper=Ynetnews |date=2016-11-08 |access-date=2023-11-25}}

In August 2017, the Israeli Supreme Court reduced his sentence to 9 and a half years in prison.{{cite news |others=Agence France-Presse |date=10 August 2017 |title=Supreme Court reduces sentence for 13-year-old Palestinian stabber |work=The Times of Israel |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/supreme-court-reduces-sentence-for-13-year-old-palestinian-stabber/}} The court upheld the compensation Ahmed should pay to the two victims; NIS 100,000 to the 13-year-old boy and NIS 80,000 to the 20-year-old security guard.

In response to Hassan and Ahmad Manasra's attack and similar attacks carried out by Palestinian children against Israelis during the 2015–2016 wave of violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, in August 2016 passed the "Youth bill." The bill allowed Israeli authorities to imprison children from the age of twelve if convicted of "terrorism." Knesset member Anat Berko who introduced the bill said "A society is allowed to protect itself. To those who are murdered with a knife in the heart it does not matter if the child is 12 or 15."{{cite news |others=Ma'an News Agency |date=4 August 2016 |title=Israel passes law allowing arrest of Palestinian children under the age of 14 |work=Al Bawaba |url=https://www.albawaba.com/news/israel-passes-law-allowing-arrest-palestinian-children-under-age-14-869528 |via=SyndiGate.info}} Israeli human rights group B'Tselem condemned the bill.{{cite news |title=Israel imprisonment of Palestinian children decried |work=Al Jazeera |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/08/israel-imprisonment-palestinian-children-decried-160803142431941.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160804193716/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/08/israel-imprisonment-palestinian-children-decried-160803142431941.html |archive-date=4 August 2016}}

• List of violent incidents in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, 2015#October
• 2015–2016 wave of violence in Israeli-Palestinian conflict

{{reflist|2}}

• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TRp1Up2S1w Don't believe Abbas' lies, see it for yourself], Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoqUbQU1uJI 13 year old Ahmed Mansra is Alive], Oct 15, 2015, Israeli Government Press Office
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3535PnzqnE Ahmad Manasra ... Israeli brutality exposed], Oct 13, 2015, Ministry Of Information Palestine
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7pAsZx8zdw جلسة تحقيق مع الطفل الجريح مناصرة ], Nov 9, 2015, Ma'an News Agency
• [https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/inside-incident-thats-triggering-anger-palestinians-israelis Inside an incident that’s triggering anger from Palestinians and Israelis], Oct 26, 2015, PBS NewsHour.

Category:2015 in Jerusalem

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Category:Deaths by firearm in the West Bank

Category:Terrorist incidents in Jerusalem in the 2010s

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Category:Stabbing attacks in 2015

Category:Terrorist incidents in Asia in 2015

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