By Reuters: A Palestinian rammed a pickup truck into pedestrians in Tel Aviv after which went on a stabbing rampage, wounding eight folks on Tuesday in an assault claimed by the Hamas militant group as retaliation for a significant Israeli operation within the West Bank.
At least 5 folks have been in severe situation, the 2 hospitals treating them mentioned. Israeli information web site Ynet mentioned one of many casualties was a pregnant lady, however the hospital couldn’t affirm that for privateness causes, it mentioned.
The 20-year-old Palestinian assailant, from the Israeli-occupied West Bank, was shot useless by an armed civilian, police mentioned. Israel’s Shin Bet safety company mentioned he entered Israel and not using a allow and had no report of safety offences.
The assault in Israel’s business capital befell as greater than 1,000 Israeli troops have been engaged within the second day of an operation towards Palestinian militants within the Jenin refugee camp, one of many flashpoints in additional than a 12 months of escalating violence within the occupied West Bank.
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Hamas, which claimed the attacker as considered one of its members, mentioned the motion was “an act of self-defence in the face of the ongoing Zionist massacre in Jenin”.
CCTV video circulated on-line confirmed a pickup truck mounting a pavement and bicycle lane exterior a mall at excessive pace, hanging at the very least two folks. The driver is seen exiting via a window, stabbing a cafe-goer and chasing different folks with knife in hand.
“I saw the grey pickup pull up at peak speed and ram the bus stop, powerfully. In the first seconds you think it could have been a mistake by the driver,” mentioned Liron Bahash, a sports activities trainer who was on the scene on a lunch break.
“He exited through the window, not the door, like in a movie, with a knife in hand and started chasing civilians. Now you understand it’s an attack. We ran for our lives,” Bahash instructed Reuters.
Israel’s far-right police minister Itamar Ben-Gvir got here to the scene and repeated his name for residents to hold weapons in an effort to thwart avenue assaults.
“Once Israel began its activity in Jenin, we knew that terrorism will try to rear its head,” he mentioned.
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