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JERUSALEM — A Palestinian gunman on Saturday opened fireplace in central Tel Aviv, killing an Israeli safety guard earlier than he was shot and killed by police, authorities mentioned.
The assault got here a day after a settler rampage within the occupied West Financial institution killed one Palestinian, deepening the spiral of violence that has gripped the area for the previous yr and a half.
Late Saturday, officers from Ichilov Hospital recognized the Tel Aviv safety guard who was killed as 42-year-old Chen Amir. Police recognized the gunman as 27-year-old Kamel Abu Bakr, from a village close to the flashpoint metropolis of Jenin within the northern West Financial institution.
Jenin’s refugee camp final month was the location of the most important Israeli offensive within the West Financial institution in practically 20 years. Twelve Palestinians, together with a minimum of eight militants, and one Israeli soldier, have been killed within the combating, which compelled 1000’s to flee their properties and left giant swaths of the camp in ruins.
lsraeli police mentioned that Amir and one other officer observed Bakr, and, believing he was performing suspiciously, approached him. They mentioned Bakr then opened fireplace, gravely wounding Amir. After a brief chase, an inspector shot Bakr.
Each Amir and Bakr later died at Ichilov Hospital, based on hospital officers. Amir was married and had three daughters, hospital officers mentioned.
Newbie video circulated on-line of Bakr vowing that armed resistance was “the one path.” Israel’s inner safety company mentioned that Bakr had been wished for the previous six months.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai praised the Tel Aviv police for stopping a extra severe assault.
“Our safety forces will counter all those that search to hurt us,” Netanyahu mentioned in an announcement Saturday night time.
After the assault, police and civilians ran via the cafe-lined streets within the seaside metropolis as protesters close by rallied for his or her fortieth week of protests in opposition to Netanyahu’s plan to overtake the nation’s judiciary. Police mentioned they might bolster their presence in Tel Aviv on Saturday night time, and protest leaders mentioned demonstrations would proceed usually.
The Palestinian militant teams Hamas and Islamic Jihad each issued statements praising the assault.
The capturing got here sooner or later after a settler rampage in a village within the northern West Financial institution. Late on Friday, armed settlers entered Burqa, a herding village east of the town of Ramallah, capturing and killing 19-year-old Qusai Matan, Palestinian well being officers mentioned.
Israeli police mentioned Saturday that they’d arrested two Israeli settlers in reference to the assault.
Israeli media reported that one of many arrested settlers used to work as an aide, who remained unnamed, for a lawmaker of the far-right Israeli “Jewish Energy” celebration which is in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition of ultranationalist and ultraorthodox events within the Israeli parliament. It contains Itamar Ben-Gvir, a pro-settlement firebrand recognized for hardline positions in opposition to Palestinians who’s now the nation’s nationwide safety minister, overseeing the nationwide police power.
The celebration couldn’t be reached for remark.
Police mentioned they arrested two settlers after detaining 5 for questioning. The opposite settler who was arrested was hospitalized after sustaining accidents Friday night time. Authorities didn’t elaborate on the fees.
The military mentioned that Israeli settlers arrived within the space to herd sheep, resulting in clashes between Israelis and Palestinians from the village. Either side hurled rocks at one another, the military mentioned, and Israelis fired at Palestinians, leaving Matai lifeless and 4 Palestinians and several other Israelis injured by rocks.
The village was closed down and extra Israeli troops have been stationed within the space surrounding it.
Palestinian officers mentioned the settlers additionally burned two vehicles within the village. In addition they referred to as for the perpetrators to be punished.
The rampage drew criticism from the U.Okay. Embassy in Israel, which wrote on social media that it was “appalled” by the settler assaults and referred to as for accountability and justice for these concerned.
Yair Lapid, an opposition chief within the Israeli parliament, mentioned that violent settler assaults within the West Financial institution endanger different settlers, describing most as “law-abiding civilians.” He added that the assaults are emboldened by members of Netanyahu’s coalition.
“The backing they obtain from essentially the most excessive coalition within the nation’s historical past is a political assault,” he wrote on the platform X, previously generally known as Twitter.
Violence has spiraled within the northern West Financial institution with the rise of capturing assaults by Palestinian teams in opposition to Israelis and each day arrest raids by the Israeli army, and rising assaults by extremist Jewish settlers.
The surge in combating is likely one of the worst between Israelis and Palestinians in practically 20 years. Greater than 150 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fireplace because the begin of 2023 within the West Financial institution and east Jerusalem, based on a tally by The Related Press.
Israel says most killed have been militants, however stone-throwing youths protesting military raids and harmless bystanders have additionally been killed.
Not less than 26 folks have been killed in Palestinian assaults in opposition to Israelis thus far this yr.
Israel captured the West Financial institution within the 1967 Mideast battle, together with the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem. Palestinians search these territories for his or her hoped-for unbiased state.
