Seven people killed in shooting, stabbing terror attack in Jaffa
Two terrorists attack civilians on Tel Aviv light rail, proceed to attack more people on foot before being shot, killed by security guard, civilians
Seven people were killed and at least eight others wounded in a shooting and stabbing terror attack in Jaffa on Tuesday evening, according to Israel Police, in one of the deadliest terror attacks in recent years.
Two terrorists, one of whom was armed with a rifle and the other with a knife, attacked civilians on the Tel Aviv light rail before getting off and continuing on foot and shooting and stabbing people on Jerusalem Street in the city.
A municipal security officer and armed civilians shot and “neutralized” the two terrorists, police added.
The two terrorists were identified as Mohammed Mesek, 19, and Ahmad Himouni, 25, both Palestinian residents of the West Bank, who were in Israel proper without a permit.
Casualties were evacuated to Wolfson Medical Center in Holon and Ichilov Medical Center in Tel Aviv.
The identities of the victims were not immediately released.
The terror attack — one of the deadliest single attacks in Israel in recent years — came amid heightened tensions in Israel as the Israel Defense Forces announced a ground incursion into Lebanon in a bid to push the Hezbollah terror group away from the border and just minutes before Iran launched a massive missile attack on Israel.
Israel Police Commissioner Daniel Levy visited the scene and told the press that the police were “dealing with a grave incident.”
Footage shows the deadly terror shooting attack in Jaffa this evening.
Two Palestinian terrorists, one armed with an assault rifle and the other with a knife, murdered six people and wounded nine others on Tel Aviv's light rail and a nearby street. pic.twitter.com/JaZbwgDGdi
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) October 1, 2024
He added that the police had no prior intelligence of the attack.
“We heard non-stop gunfire in every direction. We went outside in fear and saw a couple of figures running in the street, seemingly the terrorists. It was hard to watch,” Motti, an owner of a nearby kiosk, told Ynet.
“A woman came off the light rail screaming. Immediately after that, I saw injured people. It’s a bad feeling seeing the scene,” said Mohammed, a flower seller who witnessed the attack, adding that it was a “sad and difficult day.”
Following the attack, far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich wrote on X that he would demand the terrorists’ families be “exiled to Gaza” and that their homes be destroyed.
