Terrorist who killed Tel Aviv patrolman thought to have snuck in via West Bank fence

The Palestinian terrorist who carried out a deadly attack in Tel Aviv over the weekend, killing patrolman Chen Amir, is thought to have infiltrated into Israel from the West Bank via a gap in the security barrier.

According to the military and Shin Bet security agency’s initial investigation of the attack, several hours before the shooting on Saturday afternoon, Kamel Abu Bakr, 22, apparently snuck through the barrier near his hometown of Rummanah, near Jenin.

Abu Bakr, who had been wanted by Israel for a previous shooting attack against troops in the West Bank, had been hiding in the Jenin refugee camp for at least the past six months, according to defense officials.

Abu Bakr did not have an entry permit to Israel due to his affiliation with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group in Jenin, and the previous shooting.

After crossing through a gap in the border barrier, Abu Bakr made his way to Tel Aviv, apparently after hitching a ride, according to the investigation. It was not immediately clear if the driver knew of his intentions.

Abu Bakr spent several hours in Tel Aviv armed with a handgun and carrying a “martyrdom” letter, searching for a target, according to law enforcement and defense officials.

When he reached the corner of Montefiore and Nahalat Binyamin streets, where dozens of restaurants, cafes, and bars are packed on Saturday evenings, Abu Bakr encountered two Tel Aviv municipal security officers who sought to question him.

Abu Bakr initially refused to answer their calls, and as the pair got off their motorcycles, he pulled out a handgun and opened fire, hitting Amir. The second officer returned fire at the gunman, neutralizing him.

Both Amir and the terrorist were taken to Ichilov Medical Center, where they were declared dead.

The Israel Defense Forces on Sunday, hours after the attack, measured Abu Bakr’s home ahead of a potential demolition.

The Shin Bet, meanwhile, was questioning at least four Palestinians who were detained over their suspected connection to the deadly shooting attack.

Several Palestinian terrorists managed to enter Israel from the West Bank through gaps in the fence during a string of attacks in the spring of last year, whereupon the military deployed numerous units to the security barrier area.

The number of Palestinians identified illegally crossing through the barrier dropped from around 30,000 a day in March 2022 to several hundred a day since April 2022, and down further to several dozen a day in recent months, according to the IDF.