A Palestinian gunman has opened fire in central Tel Aviv, killing an Israeli security guard before he was shot and killed by police, authorities said.
Saturday's attack came a day after a settler rampage in the occupied West Bank killed 19-year-old Palestinian Qusai Jamal Maatan, deepening the spiral of violence that has escalated in the occupied Palestinian territory under Israel's far-right government.
Late Saturday, officials from Ichilov Hospital identified the Tel Aviv security guard who was killed as 42-year-old Chen Amir. Police identified the gunman as 27-year-old Kamel Abu Bakr, from a village near the flashpoint city of Jenin in the northern occupied West Bank.
Jenin's refugee camp last month was the site of the largest Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank in nearly two decades. Twelve Palestinians and one Israeli soldier were killed in the fighting, which forced thousands to flee their homes and left the vast majority of the camp in ruins.
Jewish settler raid in Burqa, occupied West Bank
The shooting came one day after a settler rampage in a village in the northern occupied West Bank. Late on Friday, armed settlers entered Burqa, a herding village east of the city of Ramallah, shooting and killing19-year-old Qusai Matan, Palestinian health officials said.
Israeli police said Saturday that they had arrested two Israeli settlers in connection with the attack.
9Israeli media reported that one of the arrested settlers used to work as an aide, who remained unnamed, for a lawmaker of the far-right Jewish Power (Otzma Yehudit) party, which is in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right coalition.
The party is led by Itamar Ben-Gvir, a pro-settlement firebrand known for hardline positions against Palestinians who is now the country's national security minister, overseeing the national police force.
The party couldn’t be reached for comment.
Police said they arrested two settlers after detaining five for questioning. The other settler who was arrested was hospitalised after sustaining injuries Friday night. Authorities did not elaborate on the charges.
Palestinian officials said the settlers also burned two cars in the village. They also called for the perpetrators to be punished.
The settler rampage drew criticism from the UK Embassy in Israel, which wrote on social media that it was “appalled” by the settler attacks and called for accountability and justice for those involved.
Violence has spiraled across the occupied West Bank under the country's far-right coalition government with daily military raids by the Israeli military and growing attacks by extremist Jewish settlers.
More than 150 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the start of 2023 in the occupied West Bank and occupied east Jerusalem, according to a tally by The Associated Press.
At least 26 people have been killed in Palestinian attacks against Israelis so far this year.
