An armed man riding a motorcycle opened fire in a city in central Israel on Tuesday, killing at least five people, in the second shooting this week in the country. The police killed the assailant.
The shooting appeared to be part of a series of attacks by Arab individuals ahead of the holy month of Ramadan and the anniversary of the latest war in the Gaza Strip last year. The Israeli press said the attacker was a Palestinian from the West Bank.
The two previous attacks, carried out by Arab citizens of Israel inspired by the Islamic State extremist group have raised fears of further violence.
Israel “stands before a wave of murderous Arab terrorism”declared Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who promised to fight it “with perseverance, tenacity and an iron fist.”
Israeli authorities have not yet determined if the chain of attacks was organized or if the attackers acted separately. The Israeli army announced that it would deploy more troops to the West Bank, and the police chief raised the level of national preparedness to the maximum.
A video broadcast on Israeli television appeared to show the attacker with a black shirt and an assault rifle stopping a moving vehicle and shooting at the driver. In another he is seen chasing a cyclist, and the gun seems to jam when he tries to fire. The attack took place in Bnei Brak, an ultra-Orthodox city located east of Tel Aviv.