Five people were seriously injured Tuesday in a car ramming and subsequent stabbing attack in the Naot Afka neighborhood of Tel Aviv. Among the injured is a pregnant woman, whose condition was described as very serious but her life is not in danger. Four other people were moderately and slightly injured in the attack.
The terrorist was identified as Hossein Issa Hossein Halaila, 23 years old, and a resident of Samua in the Hebron area, he had no threatening background known to Israel and did not hold an entry permit to Israel. The terrorist's brother has a medical permit to enter Israel.
Tel Aviv terror attack amid Jenin operation was perpetrated by a Palestinian in Israel for medical treatment
ā i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) July 4, 2023
'Unfortunately, I'm sure this will affect many other just cases of people who need medical treatment in Israel ,' says @jconricus ā with @YehudahGlick and @ofercass pic.twitter.com/TrnhlVWaDy
Merav Kochav, the daughter-in-law of Boaz Kochav who was hospitalized in the Beilinson Hospital in a serious condition, said that he was stabbed three times. "Right now the situation is stable, he is in intensive care. He is talking and very confused," Kochav said. "He doesn't remember the incident, he remembers being in the ambulance screaming and in pain."
"He was talking (on the phone) with a friend, and the friend heard gunshots in the middle of the conversation and the call was then disconnected. We turned on the TV and identified his car. We drove to Ichilov and then came here. We thought of the worst, a paramedic from the ambulance called us and said that the situation is serious. Currently, there is no danger to his life."
In the terror attack in Tel Aviv a pregnant woman was hit by the car ramming terrorists and was gravely injured. Tragically the fetus did not survive. š This is the level of barbarity Israel is facing. pic.twitter.com/MqV9MwT45H
ā Brooke Goldstein (@GoldsteinBrooke) July 5, 2023
Nir Goldstein, a friend of Kochav who spoke with him on the phone at the time of the attack, said: "He called me from the shopping center, I heard a boom and shattering glass and nine shots, I shouted 'Boaz, Boaz'. I realized it was not an accident, and I tried to figure out how to get there. I called everyone I know to reach him." According to him, later "I heard a car crash and gunshots and nothing from him. I haven't spoken to him since the incident. A minute later I informed his son that I couldn't reach him. I told him there was an incident in North Tel Aviv and his Dad was nearby."
At noon, the Palestinian terrorist stepped onto the sidewalk and bike path on Pinchas Rosen Street in Tel Aviv, driving against the direction of traffic and running over passers-by. Later he started stabbing people, then he was shot and killed by a civilian.
A horrific terror attack in Tel Aviv!
ā Im Tirtzu (@IMTIzionism) July 4, 2023
A terrorist in a van drove on the sidewalk and crashed into a bus stop. 10 people were injured
You won't stop us. We will not surrender to terror!
Praying for the recovery of the injured and the safety of Israel š pic.twitter.com/v3jOIIX5sU
The commander of the Tel Aviv Police District, Superintendent Ami Ashad, said that "as we currently understand, the terrorist was alone. We have no doubt that this was a terrorist attack. We are carrying out additional operations both in the arena and in the surrounding area to examine whether he arrived with more people.
Hossein Issa Hossein Halaila was in Israel from Palestine legally on humanitarian grounds with a permit to enter in order to receive cancer treatments. He chose to attack Israelis instead. Hamas, who called on Palestinians to attack Jews in recent days, praised the attack as the first response to the recent "Home and Garden" operation in Jenin.
