In an attack in the Israeli beachfront city of Tel Aviv, an Italian man was killed and seven other British and Italian tourists were severely injured. According to the reports, this current incident involving violence comes after several days of escalating tensions raised concerns of a wider conflagration in the region.
On Friday night, Israel’s rescue agency said that the 30-year-old Italian had died from a gunshot wound. Israeli police said that the driver of the car, Yousef Abu Jaber, who struck persons near the beach had been shot and killed at the same moment.
It became unclear right away if there had been a single occurrence or two distinct ones. The deceased tourist has been identified as Italian citizen Alessandro Parini. Meanwhile, seven other individuals have also been reported injured.
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The Israeli media reports stated that the Italian tourist was killed in a suspected terror attack. Apparently attempting to get a hold of a weapon to start shooting on Kaufmann Street, a suspected terrorist rammed a car into it, causing a bloody path that stretched for several hundred metres and into the nearby Charles Clore Park, a well-liked coastal promenade.
Giorgia Meloni, the Prime Minister of Italy, declared her solidarity with Israel in the wake of the “cowardly attack” in Tel Aviv that left seven other people injured, including other tourists. In regards to the wounded victims, some of whom are also citizens of Italy, Meloni stated her administration was in communication with Israeli officials.
“Deep sorrow and condolences for the death of one of our nationals, Alessandro Parini, in the terrorist attack that took place in the evening in Tel Aviv. Condolences to the victim’s family, to the wounded, and solidarity with the State of Israel for the cowardly attack that hit him,” she said on Twitter.
Antonio Tajani, the foreign affairs minister for Italy and the country’s deputy prime minister, also denounced the Tel Aviv attack and stated that his ministry was coordinating with Israeli authorities on the incident.
Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel of the US State Department meanwhile stated that the US “stands with the government and people of Israel” in a statement condemning the Tel Aviv attack.
This attack was the second fatal event of the day. In the West Bank on Friday morning, a gunshot left two sisters dead and their mother struggling for her life. The increase in violence coincides with rising tensions following Israeli police raids into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound to put an end to unrest; on Thursday, rocket fire from Gaza and Lebanon by Hamas terrorists was reported to have hit Israel.
The 45-year-old Yousef Abu Jaber, a native of Kafr Qassem, has been identified as the terrorist in the Tel Aviv incident. Reports mention that he has no past record of security violations. Following the incident, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent orders to the military and police to activate all reserve Border Police companies, according to a brief statement released by his office.
The incident was not immediately attributed to anyone. The attacker’s car was shown on surveillance camera footage rushing towards pedestrians near the park before flipping over. Another video from the incident showed the wrecked car in the park and cops firing at a guy who exited the car.
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Amichai Eshed, the head of the Tel Aviv police, said the alleged assailant drove clearly onto a bicycle lane and struck many persons in the pedestrian area. A police officer at a nearby petrol station heard the car overturning and hurried to the scene with local inspectors. They shot the assailant dead after spotting him attempting to “reach a rifle-like object that was with him.” Jaber may have had a gun and was preparing to shoot, according to the police.
“The policeman approached the car together with Tel Aviv municipality inspectors, and saw that the driver was trying to reach for a weapon he had in his possession,” police said.
Tensions have risen throughout the area after Israeli attacks and tit-for-tat rocket fire from the Gaza Strip, a significant rocket bombardment from Lebanon, riots at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, and an alleged Iranian drone fired from Syria earlier in the week.
In the West Bank, there have been several incidents that have left several troops injured, including three soldiers who were hit by a car on Saturday and two more who were shot on Wednesday and Thursday. Additionally this past week, a terror stabbing occurred close to the Tzrifin military installation in central Israel, injuring two troops, one critically.
It is well known that there are often severe confrontations between Israeli soldiers and Palestinians during the Islamic holy month of Ramzan, which this year falls on the same day as the Jewish festival of Passover. Throughout the month, tens of thousands of worshippers flock to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest mosque in Islam and the location of the most sacred Jewish complex, which frequently causes tensions and conflict with Israel.
On Friday, a few crossings were opened to allow worshippers to enter Al-Aqsa Mosque for collective prayers. During festivals and holidays, such closures are customary. According to the military, they serve as a deterrent to attackers during tense times.
