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.
The new attack killed 17 people in a wave of terror in Israel since the end of March. In two of the attacks, the perpetrators were Israeli Arabs, supporters of the terrorist organization Islamic State (IS). Two other attacks were carried out by Palestinians from the West Bank.
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The military arm of the Palestinian organization Hamas, which rules in the Gaza Strip, also claimed responsibility for an attack on Monday that killed an Israeli security guard at the entrance to a settlement in the West Bank on Friday. Hamas had also announced further attacks. According to the terrorist organization, it was a reaction to Israel’s actions on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s old city.
She warned of “consequences” should Israelis visit the Temple Mount again on Thursday. Police allowed Jewish Israelis to visit 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 are allowed to visit the facility, but not to 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. (dpa)
