A Palestinian man with Israeli citizenship opened fire across several towns in central Israel on Sunday, killing a 55-year-old reservist and wounding five others, according to Israeli police and the military. The attacker, identified as a resident of the Arab town of Taybeh in his 20s, was killed by police during the incident.
The shooting began at a gas station near Kokhav Yair, located on the Israeli side of the boundary with the occupied West Bank. Additional shootings occurred in two nearby Israeli towns and close to the Israeli settlement of Salit inside the West Bank. Police initially suspected a coordinated attack but later determined that a gunman and an accomplice who may have served as his driver were involved. The suspected accomplice was arrested after attempting to stab police with a glass bottle.
The Magen David Adom rescue service reported that two of the five wounded were in severe condition. Authorities ordered residents to stay at home, and children in the area remained in lockdown at school for at least three hours.
Oshrit Gani Gonen, the regional council head, told Israeli media that the discovery of Israeli citizens as attackers contradicted security expectations. "Since Oct. 7, the scenario we were expecting was terrorists crossing into our towns from over the boundary. I don't think that anyone imagined that we would discover the attackers were Israeli citizens," Gonen said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the security forces who killed the attacker. Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel's hard-line public security minister who oversees the police force, released a video of himself standing next to what appeared to be a blurred image of the dead gunman. "This is the end of every terrorist, this is how it should look," Ben-Gvir said.
Ben-Gvir recently led an effort to pass a new law seeking to impose the death penalty on Palestinian attackers, though that law faces legal challenges. He has come under sharp condemnation from other Israeli leaders for making contentious videos, including his treatment of flotilla activists detained after attempting to break the maritime blockade to Gaza.
On Sunday, at least five Palestinians were killed in an Israeli airstrike that hit a police point in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent. At least 10 others were wounded. Later that day, at least four Palestinians were killed when an Israeli strike hit a vehicle in western Gaza City, according to Shifa hospital.
The Israeli military has said in the past that it targets militants posing threats to its troops. Israel later closed the crossings with Gaza until further notice due to the deteriorating security situation.
Israeli military forces struck targets throughout western and central Iran, according to reports from Monday. The operation marks a significant escalation in direct military action between the two countries and carries potential consequences for global security and oil markets that affect consumers worldwide.
A Palestinian man with Israeli citizenship opened fire across several towns in central Israel on Sunday, killing a 55-year-old reservist and wounding five others, according to Israeli police and the military. The attacker, identified as a resident of the Arab town of Taybeh in his 20s, was killed by police during the incident.
The shooting began at a gas station near Kokhav Yair, located on the Israeli side of the boundary with the occupied West Bank. Additional shootings occurred in two nearby Israeli towns and close to the Israeli settlement of Salit inside the West Bank. Police initially suspected a coordinated attack but later determined that a gunman and an accomplice who may have served as his driver were involved. The suspected accomplice was arrested after attempting to stab police with a glass bottle.
The Magen David Adom rescue service reported that two of the five wounded were in severe condition. Authorities ordered residents to stay at home, and children in the area remained in lockdown at school for at least three hours.
Oshrit Gani Gonen, the regional council head, told Israeli media that the discovery of Israeli citizens as attackers contradicted security expectations. "Since Oct. 7, the scenario we were expecting was terrorists crossing into our towns from over the boundary. I don't think that anyone imagined that we would discover the attackers were Israeli citizens," Gonen said.
The attack occurred amid heightened tensions following Israeli settler violence and the deadly shooting of a Palestinian baby in the nearby West Bank over the weekend.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the security forces who killed the attacker. Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel's hard-line public security minister who oversees the police force, released a video of himself standing next to what appeared to be a blurred image of the dead gunman. "This is the end of every terrorist, this is how it should look," Ben-Gvir said.
Ben-Gvir recently led an effort to pass a new law seeking to impose the death penalty on Palestinian attackers, though that law faces legal challenges. He has come under sharp condemnation from other Israeli leaders for making contentious videos, including his treatment of flotilla activists detained after attempting to break the maritime blockade to Gaza.
On Sunday, at least five Palestinians were killed in an Israeli airstrike that hit a police point in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent. At least 10 others were wounded. Later that day, at least four Palestinians were killed when an Israeli strike hit a vehicle in western Gaza City, according to Shifa hospital.
The Israeli military has said in the past that it targets militants posing threats to its troops. While the heaviest fighting subsided since a U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal last October, the ceasefire has seen almost daily Israeli fire. Israel later closed the crossings with Gaza until further notice due to the deteriorating security situation.
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