Five killed by gunman in Bnei Brak terror attack
The incident in a suburb east of Tel Aviv comes days after two earlier terror incidents claimed by Arab Israelis linked to the Islamic State group
Five people have been killed and at least one other wounded during a series of shootings in a Tel Aviv suburb on Tuesday night.
Israeli media reported between two and three shootings in parts of Bnei Brak, a neighbourhood to the east of Tel Aviv.
The neighbourhood is known for its large strictly-Orthodox population.
Police said the shots were fired from a motorcycle as it drove through the neighbourhood and that at least one of the casualties was a serving officer.
The gunman, who was shot dead, was named as a Diaa Hamarsheha, a 26-year-old Palestinian from the West Bank who had a previous conviction for security offences.
Video footage filmed on a phone showed a man dressed in black carrying a rifle and firing as passers-by.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Israel was facing “a murderous Arab terror wave.”
He added in a statement: “We will fight terrorism with persistence, diligence and an iron fist… We will win.”
An eyewitness who said he saw the incident from his balcony told Channel 13 news: “We heard at least 10 or 12 bullets within a minute. I ran quickly downstairs. Then all the residents of the nearby buildings started coming.
“There was a man injured on the floor here in a serious condition. I realised he was sadly dead. There were two other dead people and one in a car. The cars were packed here. He carried on to Herzl Street. I understand that there was also someone killed there.
“It was a terrible situation.”
Yosef Chaim, who lives in a building overlooking the road where the shooting took place, added: “At the beginning we heard shooting but we thought because it’s just after Purim people and still set off little fireworks. But then we heard screams and I looked out my window
“I saw him [the suspected gunman] with my own eyes. He had an M16 and was with a black shirt. He tried to shoot a neighbour. Then he fled to Herzl Street.
“First he shot at the kiosk and then continued to here.”
The Magen David Adom emergency service said its paramedics were treating five victims.
Update to the incident in Bnei Brak: MDA EMTs and Paramedics are treating 5 victims of a shooting. Updates to follow as needed. pic.twitter.com/q4io3Jirxf
— Magen David Adom (@Mdais) March 29, 2022
A video it shared showed an ambulance and other emergency vehicles at the scene.
Officials could not immediately confirm if there were multiple suspects or a single shooter involved, although Channel 12 television reported an Arab gunman was responsible and had been shot dead.
It was not immediately clear if the incident was terror-related, although it comes after two attacks in other parts of Israel in the past week.
The previous two incidents — in Hadera and Beersheva — were claimed by Arab Israelis linked to the Islamic State group.
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