Since November, over a dozen Israelis, including two little boys, have been killed in unprovoked terror attacks in the Jerusalem area, with many more wounded. Monday night, in two separate incidents, teenage Palestinian boys attacked and stabbed Israelis with kitchen knives. One of the victims, an Arab Israeli Border Police officer, has since succumbed to his wounds, while the second victim is hospitalized in stable condition. Both of the terrorists were under 15.

These two latest attacks cement a recent and very disturbing trend where schoolchildren commit terrorist attacks. International probes have found that the boys’ textbooks package terrorism and violent anti-Israel sentiment as heroism. After the attacks, Hamas congratulated the boys for their “bravery.”

This trend is also apparent in a recent video, where an Israeli journalist asked two Palestinian teenagers what their thoughts were on the attacks. The boys praised the acts of terror and even appeared to call for the death of the journalist.

For Israeli security forces this situation gives rise to an unprecedented and terrible moral dilemma.

Please pray for healing for victims and comfort for bereaved family and friends. Please pray for a cessation of attacks, and for immediate reform in the Palestinian education system. Lastly, please pray for wisdom and safety for Israeli security forces who must respond to the attacks.