Three people were killed and a dozen more were wounded on Thursday evening, April 7, after a gunman opened fire on Dizengoff Street in central Tel Aviv.
A Palestinian from Jenin carried out a terror attack on Thursday evening, April 7, on the busy Dizengoff Street in central Tel Aviv. Two people died on the scene, one person was critically injured and succumbed to his wounds at a Tel Aviv hospital. From the dozen wounded, the eight people are still being treated in hospital, two of which remain in critical condition. Two others remain in moderate condition and another four are lightly wounded.
This was the 4th terror attack in the past two weeks, the latest in a series of deadly attacks that began last month in Beersheba, Hadera and Bnei Brak. So far, 14 people have been killed in the attacks.
The assailant, who was identified as the 28-year-old Ra’ad Fathi Hazem from the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank, was shot dead in Jaffa early on Friday morning, after a night-long manhunt. He was found hiding near a mosque in Jaffa. According to reports, Hazem pulled out his gun and fired 10 bullets toward the officers, who returned fire and killed him. Hazem had no known organizational affiliation, previous arrests or security background before he carried out his attack. He is believed to have crossed into Israel illegally through the fence from the West Bank through a hole in the past few days.
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kohavi has ordered the military to increase offensive operations in the West Bank and along the security fence. Speaking to combat intelligence troops ahead of a Friday night dinner, Kohavi confirmed that Hazzem entered Israel through the seam line, something “that should not have happened.”
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett held security consultations with Defense Minister Benny Gantz, Minister of Internal Security Omar Bar-Lev, Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kohavi, Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai and other senior officials on Friday morning. Offering his condolences to those who were killed and wishes to those injured, Bennett praised the security forces who worked throughout the night to locate the terrorist.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the attack and stressed the dangers of „continuing the repeated incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque and the provocative actions of extremist settler groups”. The Defense Minister said that while the Palestinian Authority “did well” in condemning the attack, he claimed that “my demand is that along with the condemnation, that the actions taken against those who perpetrate terrorism be expanded, in all areas.”
The three victims of the shooting, Tomer Morad, 28, Eitam Megini, 27 and Barak Lofan, 35 were buried on Sunday afternoon.
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