JERUSALEM: A Palestinian killed a man and a woman in a stabbing and car-ramming attack in northern Israel on Friday, triggering a threat from the defense minister to crack down on the assailant’s village in the occupied West Bank.
The attack came a day after an Israeli military reservist dressed in civilian clothes rammed his vehicle into a Palestinian man in the West Bank, where violence has surged since the war in Gaza began in October 2023.
“Preliminary investigation indicates this was a rolling terror attack that began in the city of Beit Shean, where a pedestrian was run over,” Israeli police said in a statement, adding that the victim was a 68-year-old man.
“Later, a young woman was stabbed near Road 71, and the suspect was ultimately engaged with gunfire near Maonot Junction in Afula following intervention by a civilian bystander,” it said, adding that the attacker was taken to a hospital.
Both the victims succumbed to the injuries, Israel’s emergency service provider Magen David Adom said in a statement.
MDA also reported that a 16-year-old teenager was slightly injured when “hit by a vehicle.”
The Israeli military said the attacker had “infiltrated into Israeli territory several days ago.”
Following the attack, Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered the military to launch an operation in the village of Qabatiya in the West Bank after it emerged that the attacker came from there.
“Defense Minister Israel Katz instructed the IDF to act forcefully and immediately against the village of Qabatiya, from which the murderous terrorist emerged, in order to locate and thwart every terrorist and strike the village’s terror infrastructure,” Katz’s office said in a statement.
“Anyone who aids terrorism or sponsors and backs it will pay the full price,” it added.
The military said in a separate statement that it was preparing to begin an operation in Qabatiya.
“Horrific killing”
President Isaac Herzog condemned the attack.
“I wish to express my deep shock at the horrific killing spree and the combined terrorist attack in northern Israel carried out by a despicable terrorist,” he said in a statement.
“Israel is committed to reinforcing and strengthening this challenging border and, of course, to bolstering the security response in the area for the full safety of the residents,” Herzog added.
On Thursday, an Israeli military reservist dressed in civilian clothes had rammed his vehicle into a Palestinian man in the West Bank.
In videos on social media purporting to show that incident, the victim is seen praying on the side of a road when the soldier rams him with his vehicle.
Since the start of the war in Gaza following Hamas’ attack on Israel, at least 38 people, including two foreigners, have been killed inside Israel in attacks by Palestinians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
During the same period, violence has also surged in the West Bank, a territory occupied by Israel since 1967.
Israeli troops and settlers have killed more than 1,000 Palestinians in the West Bank, including many militants as well as dozens of civilians, according to an AFP tally based on figures from the Palestinian health ministry.
According to official Israeli figures, at least 44 Israelis, both soldiers and civilians, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or Israeli military operations in the same period in the West Bank.
