JERUSALEM (JTA) — An 18-year old Israeli soldier was stabbed to death by a Palestinian residing in Israel illegally while on a bus in northern Israel.

Police are calling the Wednesday morning incident a terrorist attack.

The assailant was a 16-year-old Palestinian boy from Jenin. The attack occurred in Afula on a bus traveling from Nazareth to Tel Aviv.

The soldier was stabbed several times in the neck. He was rushed to a nearby hospital where he reportedly died during surgery.

Haaretz reported that the stabber’s brothers are known to Israeli security officials and have been connected to other terrorist activity.  The attacker’s uncles are in prison in Israel, Army Radio reported.

The attack comes a day before the one year anniversary of Operation Pillar of Defense, an operation in Gaza launched by Israel after 100 rockets fired from Gaza struck southern Israel in a 24-hour period.

Last month a Palestinian pulled out a knife and threatened passengers on a bus near Jerusalem before cutting a sidelock off of a passenger and fleeing.