Israeli authorities reported that a car driver crashed into pedestrians close to a Tel Aviv shopping centre before getting out to stab bystanders, injuring eight people.
The assault occurred a day after raids left at least 10 persons between the ages of 16 and 23 dead and about 100 others injured. Israeli soldiers had been conducting military operations in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin for a second night when the incident occurred.
In a statement, Hamas claimed responsibility for the assault and stated that it was in retaliation for Israel’s continuing operation in Jenin.
A police spokesperson described the car ramming on Pinchas Rosen Street in northern Tel Aviv as a “terror attack,” and told CNN the driver was killed by an armed civilian.
The chief of staff of the Israel’s Medical Emergency Service, Uri Shacham, outlined how the attack unfolded. “This terror attack was combined, both of the vehicle hitting pedestrians, and then the driver, leaving the car, going outside, and stabbing innocent civilians,” he said.
“Magen David Adom [the emergency service] deployed tens of ambulances, mobile intensive care units and motorcycles emergency motorcycles to the scene.”
One of the injured, a 46-year-old woman, is in serious condition, the Magen David Adom said.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) also praised Tuesday’s attack, saying it’s the “response of the resistance to what is happening in Jenin,” a statement said.
The PIJ did not claim responsibility for the attack in the statement.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the ramming and stabbings in Tel Aviv a “heinous terror attack.”
Netanyahu added: “Whoever thinks that such an attack will deter us from continuing our fight against terrorism is mistaken. He is simply unfamiliar with the spirit of the State of Israel, our government, our citizens and our soldiers.”
The Israeli military raid in Jenin is “not over” until the IDF declares it, IDF Chief International Spokesperson Richard Hecht told CNN after the IDF issued a statement saying its forces were withdrawing from the Jenin camp.
“Final hours I hope, but it’s not over yet till we declare it. There’s movements in the camp, forces are leaving the camp. It could still change,” Hecht said.
Video obtained by CNN also showed Israeli military vehicles starting to withdraw from the occupied West Bank city, as other vehicles are seen entering.
Human rights groups have expressed deep concern regarding the surge in violence in Jenin. UNICEF reported that at least three children lost their lives, while many others sustained injuries amid ongoing clashes, its Middle East and North Africa regional director Adele Khodr said on Tuesday.