Israeli critically wounded in shooting attack in Tel Aviv
Police at the scene of the shooting in Tel Aviv, on August 5, 2023. Photo by Moti Milrod/Haaretz
This article originally appeared on Haaretz, and was reprinted here with permission. Sign up here to get Haaretz’s free Daily Brief newsletter delivered to your inbox.
An Israeli man was critically wounded in a suspected shooting attack in Tel Aviv on Saturday evening.
The Magen David Adom rescue service said that paramedics are working to resuscitate the man, a municipal patrolman in his 40s, and bring him to Ichilov Hospital.
Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai arrived at the scene near Nahalat Binyamin Street, a nightlife center in the city.
According to Shabtai, at about 6:25 P.M., Tel Aviv municipal patrolmen had noticed a man who roused their suspicion, and he did not respond to their calls to halt. As the patrolmen got off their motorcycles, the man pulled out a pistol and shot one of them. After a brief chase, the second patrolman pulled out his weapon and shot him.
Speaking with Shabtai, the patrolman who shot the assailant said that it was the assailant’s large backpack and refusal to make eye contact that made him suspicious. The man was standing near a wine bar, and did not move until he saw the patrolmen coming and started walking toward the crowded establishment.
Shabtai praised the patrolmen’s work, saying that “there is no doubt that your quick work and professionalism saved lives. Just meters away, you can see cafés crowded with people and understand the magnitude of the disaster that was prevented.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a statement as well. “I praise the members of the Tel Aviv Municipal Security Patrol for their alertness and willingness to engage [the assailant], and in doing so prevented a very serious terror attack.”
The Shin Bet security service identified the assailant as Kamel Abu Baker, 22, from the Jenin area, who has been a fugitive in the Jenin refugee camp for the past six months. The Shin Bet said that he was affiliated with the Islamic Jihad terror group, but in a letter attributed to Abu Baker, he said he did not belong to any organization.
Tareq Salami, spokesman of the Islamic Jihad, praised the attack, “which emphasizes the unity of the Palestinian struggle and a natural response to the daily killing that the occupation carries out against the Palestinian people.”
Security forces are searching the area for any additional assailants or collaborators.
The shooting comes hours before the protests against the judicial overhaul; the main protest is held on Tel Aviv’s Kaplan Street. Protest leaders clarified that the demonstration will proceed as planned.
On Friday evening, 19-year-old Qosai Jammal Mi’tan was shot dead by settlers during clashes between Palestinians and settlers near the West Bank village of Burqa. Two Israelis, one of whom is in the hospital in critical condition, were arrested on Saturday on suspicion of involvement in the killing. Israeli security officials fear the incident will further exacerbate security tensions in the West Bank.
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