Israeli security officers arrested two Palestinians suspected of throwing a firebomb that wounded an 11-year-old Israeli girl and her father. During questioning, both confessed to carrying out the attack, The Jerusalem Post reported.

The two, one of them a 16-year-old, were arrested early Friday morning soon after the incident near Nablus in the West Bank, the Agence France-Presse (AFP) news agency reported, quoting the Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security agency.

It said the two Palestinians hid in ambush above the road separating the Maale Shomron settlement from Azzoun before throwing the petrol bomb at a car carrying the Israelis.

AFP also reported that firebomb attacks against Israeli targets have been increasing lately.

Firebomb attacks by Palestinians in the West Bank against Israeli civilians and military targets are not rare.

According to the military, in the first nine days of December Palestinians carried out 24 Molotov cocktail attacks, five of them targeting civilian Israeli cars.

The girl, Ayala Shapira, has undergone the first of numerous expected surgeries, but is still considered to be in “life-threatening condition.”

A firebomb was thrown December 27 at an apartment balcony in the Armon HaNatziv neighborhood of Jerusalem. A fire broke out on the balcony, but was extinguished shortly after. No one was hurt.

Two Israeli border police officers were stabbed near the Lions’ Gate of Jerusalem’s Old City on December 26. One was stabbed in the neck, the other in his hand, Ynet reported.

[Photo: Rowanhill / Flickr]