At least five people were killed in a shooting in the Israeli city of Bnei Brak on Tuesday, according to the Magem David Adom (MDA) Medical Emergency Service, the second attack in Israel in two days and the third in just one week.
“Four people were pronounced dead at the scene,” MDA said, adding that a fifth person in critical condition died shortly afterwards in hospital. For his part, the attacker, a Palestinian from the West Bank, was killed by police at the same spot.
A police spokesman said the attacker “opened fire” on a group of people on the street in Bnei Brak (central Israel), “shot dead” several of them and crossed to another road, from where the shooting continued to “neutralize”.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met with senior security, military and intelligence officials Tuesday night to assess the situation, his office said.
“The Israeli killer is facing a wave of Arab terrorism,” said Bennett, who expressed his condolences to the families of the victims. As he stressed, the security forces are working “to fight terrorism with perseverance, determination and an iron fist.”
After the incident, angry visitors gathered in some places of the attack to protest, some demanding “revenge” and shouting “Death to the Arabs”, local media reported.
According to the Haaretz newspaper, the attacker was a 26-year-old Palestinian from the North Occupied West Bank who had previously served a six-month sentence for a security crime in Israel.
In Gaza, the Islamist group Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack, but did not claim responsibility. He said it was “a natural response to the occupation (Israeli) crimes committed against the Palestinian people.”
This is the second such incident in two days since yesterday’s attack in which two policemen killed two Israeli Arabs in the north of the country. For its part, another attack took place last Tuesday, killing four civilians in the southern city of Beersheva, committed by a Bedouin resident of the area. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for both attacks.
A total of eleven Israelis have been killed in three attacks in just one week, a figure not recorded since 2006. This put the security forces on high alert and drew criticism from the government.
Source: El Diario
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
