Gunman kills 5 people in Israel, Palestinian condemns terror attack

In Israel, at least five people were killed when a gunman opened fire in a crowded city in central Israel  on Tuesday night. The shootings occurred at two locations in Bnei Brak, a city on the outskirts of Tel Aviv. Police said a preliminary investigation found that the gunman was armed with an assault rifle and opened fire on passersby before he was shot by officers at the scene. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Israel will fight terror with perseverance, stubbornness, and an iron fist. “Israel is facing a wave of murderous Arab terror,” Bennett tweeted after the shootings in Bnei Brak, a Jewish ultra-Orthodox city on the outskirts of Israel’s commercial capital. The shooting raised to 11 the number of people killed by Arab gunmen in Israel over the past week, the sharpest spike in attacks on city streets in years.The Israeli military announced it would be deploying additional troops to the West Bank. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the shootings.
Meanwhile, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has condemned the attack. He said killing of Israeli or Palestinian civilians only leads to further deterioration of the situation and instability, which we all strive to achieve. The shooting was the latest in a string of attacks by the assailants ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the anniversary of last year’s Gaza war. Last Sunday, a pair of gunmen killed two police officers during a shooting spree in the central city of Hadera, and last week, alone assailant killed four people in a car-ramming and stabbing attack in the southern city of Beersheba. Israeli officials had cautioned about a surge in assaults in the run-up in April to the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, a period in which violence has surged in the past.