At least three people were killed in a new attack in Israel on Thursday evening. According to an emergency service, four people were injured in the attack in the strictly religious town of Elad, east of Tel Aviv. The police assume two perpetrators: one shot, another attacked passers-by with an ax.
Roadblocks have been set up in the area. A police helicopter follows a suspicious vehicle. According to media reports, the police are concerned that the perpetrators could have escaped to the nearby West Bank. Hamas, which rules in the Gaza Strip, praised the bloody attack over loudspeakers as a “heroic act”.
Including the new attack, 17 people have been killed in the series of attacks in Israel since the end of March. In two attacks, the perpetrators were Israeli Arabs who are said to have been supporters of the terrorist organization Islamic State (IS). Two other attacks were carried out by Palestinians from the West Bank.
A spokesman for the Islamist Palestinian organization Hamas said on Thursday evening that the new attack was a reaction to Israel’s actions on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s old city, which Hamas describes as a “storming”. The military arm of Hamas has already claimed responsibility for an attack that killed an Israeli security guard at the entrance to a West Bank settlement on Friday. Hamas had also announced further attacks. Hamas, classified as a terrorist group by the EU and numerous other countries, warned of “consequences” should Israelis visit the Temple Mount again on Thursday.
Police allowed Jewish Israelis to enter the holy site on Israel’s Independence Day. There were renewed confrontations between Palestinians and Israeli security forces. The Temple Mount (Al-Haram al-Sharif) with the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque is the third holiest site in Islam. But it is also sacred to Jews because there used to be two Jewish temples there. The Temple Mount is under Muslim administration while Israel is responsible for security. According to an agreement with the Muslim authorities, Jews can visit the facility but not pray there. However, there are always violations. The Palestinians accuse Israel of wanting to expand its control of the holy site. However, Israel has stressed that it is committed to the status quo.