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Photos: Scene of the stabbing at the Petah Tikva mall, October 7, 2015. Credit: Ofer Vaknin Published by Haaretz

Israeli police special forces patrol a street in Jabel Mukaber, a Palestinian neighbourhood of East Jerusalem on September 18, 2015 AFP/File Thomas Coex. Published by Maan
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Victim suffers light wounds in third such attack in single day; In Jerusalem, Palestinian youth tries to stab police officers.

by Yaniv Kubovich for Haaretz

An Israeli man was stabbed by a Palestinian attacker outside the entrance to a large shopping mall in Petah Tikva, central Israel, on Wednesday evening.

The attacker was overpowered by civilians at the scene, before being arrested by police who arrived at the mall within minutes.
The victim, in his mid-20s, suffered superficial wounds after being stabbed in the chest. He was treated at the scene before being taken to Petah Tikva's Beilinson Hospital. His condition was described as good.

Police named the attacker as Tamer Yunis Ahmed Vareidat, 25, from Daheira, near Hebron. He arrived at the mall by bus and immediately started attacking passers-by on alighting from the bus. The victim, who was standing on the sidewalk outside the mall, was the person closest to him.

Also on Wednesday evening, police in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Abu Tor averted an attack when a Palestinian youth they had approached for questioning pulled a knife and attempted to stab them. 

The 15-year old youth was arrested by the police.

"While dealing with unrest in Abu Tor, the officers noticed a youth who aroused their suspicion," said Inspector Dror Mizrachi, deputy commander of the Border Police unit in Jerusalem. "While they were attempting to search him, he pulled out a knife. He was immediately overpowered and taken into custody."

Third stabbing attack in one day

The stabbing in Petah Tikva was the third such incident in a single day. On Wednesday afternoon, a Palestinian man attacked an Israel Defense Forces soldier in the southern city of Kiryat Gat and took his rifle. The assailant was later shot dead by the police.
Earlier, a man was stabbed by a Palestinian woman in Jerusalem's Old City, sustaining light wounds. The man drew his weapon and fired at the assailant, who was rushed to hospital in serious condition. 

The victim, a Jewish man in his 30s, was treated on the scene for knife wounds to his back before being rushed to hospital.
The attack took place on Hagai Street in Jerusalem's Old City, close to where two ultra-Orthodox men were stabbed to death by a Palestinian on Saturday. 

Earlier still, an Israeli woman was wounded when Palestinians threw stones at her car on a road near Jerusalem. She sustained light wounds.
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BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- A Palestinian man stabbed and injured an Israeli civilian in the city of Petah Tikva, east of Tel Aviv on Wednesday, Israeli police said.

The suspect attacked a crowd at the entrance to a mall in the city, injuring one Israeli, police spokesperson Micky Rosenfeld told Ma'an.

Israeli media reported that the suspect, from the West Bank city of Hebron, was overpowered at the scene and taken into custody.

The stab victim was treated for light injuries at the Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva.

In an earlier separate incident, Israeli police said that a Palestinian teenager -- identified as Shuroq Salah Dwayat, 18 -- stabbed an Israeli man in the Old City of East Jerusalem, who responded by opening fire at her.

Israeli media said the man, 35, sustained light injuries.

On Oct. 3, two Palestinians were shot dead by Israeli forces in occupied East Jerusalem's Old City for allegedly carrying out stabbing attacks against Israelis.

Mohannad Shafiq Halabi, 19, stabbed and killed two Israelis in the Old City and was shot dead on scene.

Hours later, Fadi Samir Mustafa Alloun, 19, was shot dead after reportedly attempting to stab Israelis. Video footage of the incident went viral shortly after, suggesting Alloun's death came after Israelis egged on Israeli police forces to shoot the teen.

The stabbings come amid widespread unrest in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, with daily clashes ongoing for the sixth day Wednesday.