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An elderly man, 85, was killed and an IDF soldier, 20, was seriously wounded Monday morning in a combined ramming, stabbing and shooting terror attack near the Tishbi Junction on Route 66, close to the northern city of Yokneam, police and medics said.
According to police, the assailant—Karem Jabareen, a 26-year-old Arab citizen from the village of Zalafa in the Wadi Ara region—drove to the bus stop, rammed into civilians, exited the vehicle, stabbed the soldier he struck and then opened fire on passing vehicles.
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Terrorist seen opening fire at civilians near Tishbi Junction in northern Israel
(Video: Erez Aharonovich)
He was shot and killed by officers from the Border Police Coastal District, who were en route to a training exercise and stopped their vehicle to engage the attacker. Video footage from the scene showed the assailant running with a rifle before being neutralized.
The 85-year-old victim, a local who was driving toward Haifa, was fatally shot by the attacker while in his car. The soldier was hit in the ramming attack and sustained life-threatening injuries. He was evacuated to Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa, where his condition remains unstable.
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The Assailant rammed his car into a bus stop before going on a rampage
(Photo: Magen David Adom)
“The victim from the Yokneam area was brought to the trauma room a short while ago," the hospital said in a statement. "He is currently undergoing imaging for further assessment of his injuries. He is in serious condition, sedated and on a ventilator.”
One of the Border Police officers who neutralized the attacker said at the scene: “We were on our way to a training session in Beit She’an when we saw a terrorist in the middle of the road with a weapon. I shouted to the guys to dismount as quickly as possible. There were seven of us in two vehicles. We dismounted in formation and eliminated the terrorist.”
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First responders at the scene of the suspected terror attack
(Photo: Magen David Adom)
Their commander added: “You carried out a professional, focused operation. I saw your determination to engage—that’s exactly what we expect from our fighters in such incidents. You neutralized a terrorist and prevented a much greater disaster. Well done on your action. This deserves recognition.”
Yokneam resident Gideon Shalom, who witnessed the attack, said he had been sitting at a bus stop with the soldier who was later rammed and stabbed and is now in serious condition.
“A terrorist arrived with a frightening look in his eyes,” Shalom said. “He tried to run him over, took the his weapon and began shooting after stabbing him. I yelled for people to flee. Police officers in the area neutralized him.”
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“This was a severe incident,” said Magen David Adom (MDA) paramedic Moshiko Amsalem. “We were dispatched to a terror scene at a bus stop near Tishbi Junction. When we arrived, we saw two wounded individuals — a 75-year-old man in critical condition with penetrating injuries, and a 20-year-old in moderate condition. We provided medical treatment including stopping bleeding and bandaging.”
Another MDA paramedic, Zvi Malkis, added: “Inside a vehicle near the bus stop, we found an unconscious man in his 70s with no pulse and multiple penetrating wounds. We pronounced him dead at the scene.”
A police statement said: “According to an initial report, a terrorist arrived by vehicle, ran over civilians at a bus stop, and then opened fire. As a result, several casualties were reported. Northern District officers are currently securing the area.”