Two killed in car-ramming and stabbing spree in Israel

Jerusalem: A Palestinian attacker killed two people in a rampage across northern Israel on Friday afternoon involving both a car-ramming and a stabbing. The incident triggered an immediate military operation in the occupied West Bank, with Israeli forces raiding the assailant’s hometown.

The violence began in the city of Beit Shean, where the attacker rammed his vehicle into pedestrians, killing a man and injuring a teenage boy. He then drove to a highway near the entrance of Afula, where he fatally stabbed a woman and wounded another person. Police confirmed the attacker was shot and wounded in Afula and subsequently hospitalised.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu identified the victims as teenager Aviv Maor and 68-year-old Shimshon Mordechai. President Isaac Herzog expressed shock at the "horrific killing spree," pledging to bolster security in the border regions.

Following the attack, the Israeli military launched a "precise operational search" in the Palestinian town of Qabatiya, identified as the attacker's residence. Defence Minister Israel Katz ordered troops to "act forcefully and immediately" against terrorist infrastructure in the area.

Forces surrounded the attacker’s home and began preparations for its demolition, a controversial practice Israel claims acts as a deterrent, while rights groups denounce it as collective punishment. Qabatiya Mayor Ahmad Zakarneh stated that residents, fearing a prolonged operation, had stocked up on supplies as troops positioned themselves around the town.

(Inputs from PTI)