The move came on Friday after a Palestinian killed three people and injured 16 others in a busy entertainment area in Tel Aviv last night. “There are no limits to this war,” said Bennett. “We are giving the military full freedom of action, the Shin Bet [domestic security agency] and all the security forces to defeat the terror. “ After an all-night manhunt, Israeli police said they shot and killed a Palestinian gunman who opened fire on a street with crowded bars and restaurants. A Tel Aviv hospital said on Friday that 35-year-old Barack Lufan, who was shot and wounded, had sustained his injuries. The other two killed in Thursday’s shooting were two men – Tomer Morad, 28, and Eytam Magini, 27. Special forces confronted the Palestinians in the old city of Jaffa – a city that was ethnically cleansed, among others, in 1948 and now houses a minority of Palestinians – “neutralizing the terrorist by exchanging fire,” said Police Commissioner Yaakov Shabtai. . He was identified as 28-year-old Raad Hazem from the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, where Israeli forces killed three Palestinians in a raid last week. Al Jazeera’s Hoda Abdel-Hamid, citing Tel Aviv, said while more Israeli forces will “If you look at the streets of Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and other Israeli cities, you will” also see more security forces in the occupied West Bank. “ “This translates into ‘more raids, more detentions and certainly many more restrictions for those Palestinians who cross this barrier on a daily basis to get to work inside Israel,’” he said. Hamas, the organization that rules the besieged Gaza Strip, and the Islamic Jihad organization praised the attack but did not claim responsibility. About 1,000 heavily armed police and soldiers stormed across Tel Aviv to locate the perpetrators as residents crouched in restaurant kitchens or their homes. Defense Secretary Benny Ganz said officers had made “about 200 arrests”, adding: “If necessary, there will be thousands.” Local media reported that Israeli forces had “intensified defense efforts” near the northern West Bank. On Friday, Ichilov Hospital treated eight injured – including one in critical condition – while eight others with less serious injuries were taken to other hospitals and later discharged. The mourners lit candles and left flowers outside the bar where the attack took place.
“Freedom and independence”
Al Jazeera’s Nida Ibrahim, written by Jenin, said Hazem’s family says they learned about their son’s involvement in the attack only from the news. “While they say they are surprised, they say they can understand why people in Raad’s age and circumstances would do such a thing,” Ibrahim said. Hazem was born and raised in the Jenin refugee camp, which is considered by Palestinians to be a “stronghold of resistance.” His father, Fathi Hazem, told Al Jazeera: “Young people have lost hope in everything, without work, disorientation and daily attacks by Israeli forces. “They lost many colleagues, friends and neighbors.” He gave a provocative tone earlier as he spoke to hundreds of well-wishers at the family home in Jenin, saying the Palestinian people demanded “freedom and independence”. Three other separate attacks by Palestinians since March 22 have killed 11 Israelis in a wave of violence unprecedented in Israel for years. All Palestinian assailants were shot at the scene, either by police or by Israeli civilians. At least 28 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since early 2022, according to the Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Health.
“Natural response” to Israeli crimes
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas condemned Thursday’s attack, saying “the killing of Palestinian and Israeli civilians only leads to a further deterioration of the situation,” according to the official Wafa news agency. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Washington had sided with Israel “against unreasonable terrorism and violence”. Hamas, meanwhile, praised what it called a “heroic operation,” while Islamic Jihad called it a “natural response” to Israel’s ongoing crimes. The Iranian-backed Lebanese Hezbollah praised a “victorious” attack. The UN envoy for peace in the Middle East, Thor Wensland, denounced the “heinous attack” and criticized Hamas in a tweet. “I am just happy to be free. “There is no glory in terrorism,” Wennesland said. Israel occupied the West Bank in the Middle East War in 1967 and has set up dozens of illegal settlements with nearly 500,000 settlers, often under heavy Israeli military protection. Settlers’ attacks on Palestinians and their property are common in the occupied West Bank, as well as in occupied East Jerusalem. The Palestinian leadership wants the West Bank as part of a future state and sees illegal settlements as a major obstacle to resolving the long-running conflict.
“Active volcano”
The shootings took place on the eve of the first Friday prayer of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. Israel has only allowed Palestinian women, children and men over the age of 40 from the occupied West Bank to pray at the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in East Jerusalem on Friday. Tens of thousands attended the prayers, according to authorities. Several Palestinians said they were turned back by Israeli security forces at the Qalandiya checkpoint outside Jerusalem. The checkpoint separates Jerusalem from Ramallah in the West Bank and is where Palestinians usually spend hours trying to cross. It was built as part of the Israeli barrier, which was deemed illegal by the International Court of Justice. “It simply came to our notice then [the attack] “Until Ramadan, as the Israelis like to do; but what really is this active volcano that keeps erupting,” said Marwan Bishara, a senior Al Jazeera political analyst. “The occupied territories, the system of apartheid, is an active volcano; it is the system of apartheid and occupation that continues to be the driver, the driving force of more and more violence.” Last year, demonstrations took place throughout Ramadan against the illegal eviction of Palestinians from their homes in the Sheikh Jarrah district of East Jerusalem. Clashes between Palestinian worshipers and armed Israeli soldiers in Jerusalem led to the suppression of Israeli forces in the Al-Aqsa mosque – where hundreds of Palestinians were injured. The Israeli army also launched an 11-day bombing campaign in Gaza, killing at least 260 Palestinians, including 66 children. On the Israeli side, 12 people were killed, including two children.
