Terrorist attacks on Israelis reach 2.5-year high

Israel sees 40 percent increase in incidents from April to May this year, with 365 attacks recorded in total

May saw the highest number of terrorist attacks in 2.5 years against Israelis, following an increase of almost 40 percent from the 223 incidents recorded in April.

Of the 365 attacks recorded in May, 271 involved firebombs, the Israel Security Agency said in its monthly report, published this week. The increase occurred in Jerusalem and the West Bank as well as along Israel’s border with Gaza.

The tally for May is the highest on record since October 2015, when 620 attacks were recorded. One Israeli died as a result of attacks, a soldier who was killed after a stone slab was dropped on his head from a height. Four more soldiers were injured, one in an explosion in Jerusalem and three others, as well as one civilian, from a rocket near Gaza.

Hamas has organised a number of deadly riots weekly along the border with Israel, labelling them nonviolent events despite the fact that they featured the hurling of firebombs at troops near the fence and attempts to breach it. More than 135 Palestinians have died in these riots since March, Ma’an News reported. On Thursday, the Palestinian news agency reported that a 23-year-old Gazan, Muhammad Ghassan Abu Farhana, died the previous day from wounds he sustained during a massive riot on May 14, when Israeli troops killed 61 people. A senior Hamas official said that 50 of the 61 killed in or immediately after that riot were members of his organisation.

Many countries, including the United Kingdom, France and Sweden, have condemned Israel for what they see as an overly aggressive response to the protests. The United States blamed Hamas for the violence and vetoed a U.N. Security Council draft motion blaming Israel.

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