Wave of terrorist attacks in Israel: three attacks were carried out in one week

The terrorist threat once again shakes Israel, where three attacks were carried out in the last week, resulting in 11 fatalities. The last one took place this Tuesday night in the coastal city of Tel Aviv.

“Unfortunately, we have to point out that five people have died,” said Eli Bin, head of emergency services at Magen David Adom. A spokesman for the emergency service United Hatzalah explained that the shooting occurred in several locations in Bnei Brak, an ultra-Orthodox city east of Tel Aviv.

The police reported that an attacker “opened fire” on a group of passers-by on a street in Bnei Brak, in the center of the country, “fatally shot several of them” and from there he moved to another road, from where he continued shooting until he was “neutralized”.

One of the victims was found dead inside a car and two others were found lifeless on a nearby sidewalk on the same street. Another was found dead on a perpendicular street, while the fifth deceased had been transferred in critical condition to Beilinson Hospital, where he eventually died.

Early reports from local authorities indicate that the main suspect in the shooting was driving a motorcycle and his body was found on a nearby street. He was armed with an assault rifle and opened fire on passers-by before officers shot him at the scene.

A video shot by a neighbor, which was broadcast on Israeli television, shows the terrorist in a black shirt and an assault rifle firing at a moving vehicle.

Another person was arrested for his collaboration with the shooter, as reported by The Jerusalem Post.

Israel Police Spokesman Eli Levy and Bnei Brak Mayor Avraham Rubinstein asked neighbors in areas where gunfire has been recorded to stay in their homes as long as possible.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett called an emergency meeting with the Ministers of Defense and Public Security, the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, and the Commissioner of Police, among others.

In a statement, Bennett said that Israel “is facing a wave of murderous Arab terrorism” and pledged to fight it “with perseverance, obstinacy and an iron fist.” Israel's Defense Minister Benny Gantz wrote on Twitter that the security forces “will work with all means to restore security to Israeli streets and a sense of security to civilians.”

At the time of the attack, the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, and three Arab foreign ministers were in the country to participate in a summit.

After the incident, outraged bystanders gathered in some of the places of the attack to protest, with some people demanding “revenge”.

In the Gaza Strip, the Hamas terrorist group welcomed the attack, although it did not claim responsibility. He assured that this was “a natural response to the crimes of the occupation (Israel) committed against the Palestinian people”.

This Tuesday is the third terrorist attack in less than a week in Israel. Last Sunday night, two people were killed and six, including two Israel Police officers, were injured in a gunshot attack in Hadera.

The shooters, two individuals not yet identified, were killed by security forces at the scene of the attack. Apparently, the attackers waited for a bus to pass by and fire at him.

In the Negev Desert, in southern Israel, the Foreign Ministers of the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco, three countries that normalized relations with Israel in 2020, met for a summit with the assistance of Blinken. Israel's Foreign Minister, Yair Lapid, “informed the foreign ministers who participated in the Negev Summit about the details of the terrorist attack in Hadera.”

For their part, last Tuesday, March 22, four people were killed in a terrorist attack with a knife in a shopping mall in Beersheba. Two other people were injured and the attacker died after being neutralized by a passerby.

The terrorist attacker, identified as Muhammad Alab Ahmed abu Alkiyan, first rammed the victims and then got out of the car and started stabbing them. He was an Israeli Bedouin from the city of Hura who has served time in Israeli prisons in the past.

The Israeli press reported that Alkiyan was arrested in 2015, along with other suspects, for supporting and promoting the Islamic State (ISIS) among students at a school where he taught.

Faced with this wave of terrorist attacks, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced a series of new security measures. The president ordered to expand the number of soldiers and reservists carrying weapons, increase the following of speeches on social networks to identify potential attackers and use judicial, economic, digital and intelligence resources to prevent further incidents and to stop those who instigate or help perpetrate them.

In addition, the prime minister instructed the strengthening of the various security forces, especially in the hottest spots and at least until the celebration of Independence Day in early May.

In a joint operation with the Internal Security Service (Shin Bet), the Israeli Police arrested 12 people with alleged ties with the Islamic State, a group that claimed responsibility for the two recent attacks in the country.

“Troops raided the homes of 12 suspected of belonging to the Islamic State terrorist organization. During a search of several suspects, items were seized that could indicate support for the terrorist organization,” said a police spokesman.

The operation was carried out in Arab towns in the Wadi Ara area, near the city of Hadera, where the last of the attacks took place last Sunday.

This wave of attacks takes place before Ramadan, which begins later this week. Last year, clashes between Israeli police and Muslim protesters during the holy month led to an 11-day war between Israel and Hamas terrorists.

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