An Israeli man has been killed and 4 different individuals have been wounded in what police say was a terrorist stabbing assault within the northern Israeli metropolis of Haifa.
Police stated an Israeli Druze man attacked civilians with a knife after getting off a bus at HaMifratz Central station. He was shot lifeless on the scene by a safety guard.
The sufferer who died was named as Hassan Dahamsha, 70, from the predominantly Arab city of Kafr Kanna. Paramedics stated three of the wounded – a 15-year-old boy, and a person and a girl of their 30s – have been in a critical situation.
The attacker was from Shfaram, one other primarily Arab city, and had just lately returned from overseas, police stated, with out specifying a motive.
Israeli Druze leaders condemned the uncommon assault by a member of their group.
The Druze are an ethnic and spiritual group whose religion is an offshoot of Shia Islam. About 150,000 dwell in Israel and the occupied Golan Heights, comprising about 1.5% of the inhabitants.
Witnesses and safety officers stated the perpetrator of Monday morning’s assault travelled to Haifa on a bus from Shfaram, which is about 10km (6 miles) east of the town.
“A bus arrived, and somebody bought off with a knife, shouted ‘Allahu Akbar’ [‘God is greatest’ in Arabic], and began stabbing individuals indiscriminately,” one girl advised the Haaretz newspaper.
A safety officer was cited as saying the attacker stabbed three individuals ready on the station after which went to a safety checkpoint, the place he stabbed an aged man earlier than being shot lifeless by the guard.
A police spokesman stated the attacker had been overseas for the previous few months and had returned to Israel in February.
Israeli media named him as Yitro Shaheen, 20, and reported that he had German citizenship and had lived in Germany.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated: “My spouse Sara and I ship our deepest condolences to the household of the person who was murdered within the surprising terrorist assault in Haifa.
“We are going to proceed to battle in every single place in opposition to those that search to homicide us and we are going to defeat them.”
The non secular chief of Israel’s Druze group, Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif, additionally condemned the assault. However he added: “Earlier than passing judgment, it is very important watch for a radical investigation and full clarification of the information by the safety forces.”
Druze lawmaker Hamad Amar of the right-wing Yisrael Beiteinu social gathering insisted that the assault “doesn’t mirror the true spirit of the Druze group in Israel, which is a full accomplice in defending the state and its values”.
Shfaram’s mayor, Nahid Khazem, additionally stated the city’s residents have been deeply shocked by the “despicable crime” in Haifa.
“His prolonged household say that he was mentally unstable, however I’ve no paperwork to substantiate this,” he advised Haaretz.
There was no speedy declare from any armed teams, however Hamas described the assault as “heroic” and a “pure response” to what it referred to as Israeli crimes in opposition to Palestinians.
It comes amid impasse between Hamas and Israel over transferring ahead with the six-week-old Gaza ceasefire deal.
Israel stopped assist from coming into Gaza after Hamas rejected what Netanyahu’s workplace stated was a US proposal for an extension to the primary part, which ended on Saturday evening.
Hamas accused Israel of reneging on the deal and stated the second part ought to go forward as agreed.
