Footage of the attack in Tel Aviv
(Video: Hamivzar)
A terrorist injured a 40-year-old security guard on Saturday after opening fire at two guards who approached him in Nahalat Binyamin Street in Tel Aviv and was then neutralized.
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According to the Tel Aviv Municipality spokesperson, the terrorist raised suspicion for two of the city's security guards who were patrolling the area. As the two approached him, he pulled out a gun and opened fire on them, injuring one. The other returned fire and neutralized the assailant.
Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai, who arrived on the scene, said the terrorist was Kamel Abu Bakr, a 22-year-old Palestinian resident of Jenin affiliated with the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization.
"After chasing the terrorist the security guard neutralized him. In a letter he wrote, the terrorist said he was willing to 'sacrifice himself'. We're currently looking into the possibility of the assailant having accomplices."
Abu Bakr, who illegely resided in Rummanah in the Lower Galilee, lived in the Jenin refugee camp for the past two years. He was affiliated with the Jenin Brigades, the Islamic Jihad's military wing, and was wanted by Israel.
Police spokesperson Eli Levy called on the public to stay away from the scene. "There are many forces on their way there to investigate whether the terrorist acted alone or had accomplices. The incident is being managed by MDA and the police."
"My partner and I spotted someone suspicious standing at the corner of Nachlat Binyamin Street, and when he saw us approaching, he didn't make eye contact with us, which further raised our worry," said the security guard who neutralized the terrorist.
"We began parking our motorcycles to approach the suspect, and he pulled out a gun from behind his back and opened fire at us. I drew my gun, and he tried to shoot at me as well. I chased him until he fell and dropped his gun. At that point, I stopped shooting, stood over him with my weapon, ensuring he couldn't move, and called for backup."
Magen David Adom (MDA) emergency services arrived on the scene and evacuated the man to the hospital suffering critical injuries.
MDA paramedics, Shai Bachar, and Shimon Pinchas said: "We saw a 40-year-old man lying unconscious who wasn't breathing and had no pulse, with penetrating injuries to his body. While performing resuscitation procedures, we transferred him to an MDA intensive care ambulance and evacuated him to the hospital in critical condition."
Senior Hamas member Yasin Rabia, responded to the attack, saying "Tel Aviv has become a refuge for resistance fighters in the West Bank. The heroic shooting attack in Tel Aviv guarantees the resistance's strength and shows the fragility of Zionist security forces. The attack confirms the resistance responds to the occupation's crimes against the Palestinian people and its holy places."
"We inform the occupation that the more aggression is increased in the West Bank and Jerusalem, the more harmful attacks will come," Rabia added.
"The Jewish settlers aim to uproot the Palestinian people from their land through an increase of settlements in the West Bank and Jerusalem. The incidents in the West Bank are acts of patriotism by people wanting to protect their and their people's holy places." Both Hamas and the Islamic Jihad congratulated the attack in Tel Aviv.
The attack comes after a Jewish settler shot dead a 19-year-old Palestinian, Qusai Jamal Matan, during clashes between Palestinians and settlers in the Palestinian village of Burqa near Ramallah. Calls for revenge were heard during his funeral on Saturday.
Security officials said that the incident is a risk to security in the West Bank, and the military is preparing for possible retaliatory terror attacks.