A man drove his car into pedestrians and stabbed a woman. The Israeli army launched an operation against the suspect’s hometown in the occupied West Bank. An attacker drove a car toward a man then stabbed a young woman in northern Israel on Friday afternoon (12/26), killing them both, according to Israeli authorities. In retaliation, the country’s armed forces launched an operation in the suspect’s hometown in the occupied West Bank.
The incident occurred in Beit She’an, in the north of the country, when the Palestinian rammed his vehicle into pedestrians. He then drove onto the road, left the car, stabbed a woman and injured another person near the entrance to the town of Afula.
Authorities say the suspect was shot. He was arrested and taken to hospital, and his condition has not been released at this time.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu identified the victims as Aviv Maor, 19, and Shimshon Mordechai, 68. Rescuers found the two dead on the spot.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said he was shocked by the “horrific series of killings.” According to him, Israel is “determined to strengthen this difficult border and to intensify the security response in the region to ensure the full protection of residents.”
Army enters Qabatiya
Israeli police later said the attacker was a resident of Qabatiya and had used his employer’s vehicle to carry out the attack.
Shortly after, the Israeli army began concentrating its troops near the Palestinian town. The military later said it had carried out a “precise operational search of the suspect’s residence”, in collaboration with intelligence forces, and was preparing to demolish the property.
Israeli forces also blocked several roads around the town and entered several homes, Qabatiya Mayor Ahmad Zakarneh said. According to him, residents stocked up in bakeries and supermarkets after being warned of the military operation.
Katz said he ordered troops to “act forcefully” against what he called “terrorist infrastructure” in the city. “Anyone who aids or sponsors terrorism will pay a high price,” he said.
Raid history
It is common for Israel to carry out raids in West Bank towns or destroy homes belonging to suspects’ families. Israel says the actions help prevent further attacks, while human rights organizations call the measures collective punishment.
Friday’s attack came just days after Israeli soldiers shot dead a Palestinian teenager in the Qabatiya area.
The army claims that the young man had “threw a block at the soldiers”. The case was later re-examined after Palestinian media showed security footage in which the teenager appears to emerge from an alley and is shot by soldiers as he approaches, without throwing anything.
The war between Israel and Hamas has also sparked an increase in violence in Israel and the West Bank, with an increase in attacks by Palestinian militants and attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians.
In September, Palestinians opened fire at a bus stop in Jerusalem, killing six people and wounding 12 others, according to Israeli officials.
Friday’s incident also came a day after an Israeli reservist, dressed in civilian clothes, ran over a Palestinian in the West Bank. Images posted on social media show the victim praying on the side of the road at the time of the collision.
Recognition of Somaliland
In another development, Israel on Friday became the first country to recognize Somaliland, Somalia’s breakaway region in East Africa.
Earlier this year, U.S. and Israeli officials said Israel had contacted Somaliland about the possibility of welcoming Palestinians from Gaza as part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to resettle the territory’s population. The United States has since abandoned this proposal.
Netanyahu’s office said he, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar and Somaliland Representative Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi signed a joint, mutual statement “in the spirit of the Abraham Accords.”
Somaliland, a territory of more than 3 million people in the Horn of Africa, broke away from Somalia more than three decades ago, but until now it had not been internationally recognized as an independent state by any country. Ethiopia even promised to carry out recognition in exchange for access to the sea, which has not yet been done.
Egypt’s Foreign Ministry – one of the main mediators in the war between Israel and Hamas – said on social media that it rejected recognition of Somaliland and reiterated its full support for Somalia’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity.
gq (DW, AP, AFP)
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