Terror attack
Terror attackFlash 90

Israel’s security services last month recorded 222 terrorist attacks against Israelis, the highest number in any month since December 2015.

The attacks resulted in the killing of five Israelis, two soldiers and three civilians, and the wounding of seven, according to the Israel Security Agency’s monthly report on July, published earlier this week.

The tally for July was more than double the 94 attacks recorded in June and nearly double the average of 121 attacks per month from January 2016 onward. The Israel Security Agency (Shabak) recorded a total of 2,314 attacks during that period, in which 33 victims died and 223 were wounded.

Last month was among the deadliest in that period in terms of terrorist attack fatalities, second only to November 2015 when terrorists murdered 10 Israelis.

The surge in attacks in July occurred after three Muslim terrorists murdered two Druze policemen on the Temple Mount.

In response, Israel placed metal detectors and additional security cameras at the Temple Mount entrances. These security measures prompted an outcry from the Palestinian Authority, the Jordanian Waqf and the Jordanian government, which demanded a return to the status quo.

On Thursday, terrorist Omar al-Abed was was indicted. Al-Abed carried out July's bloodiest attack, murdering three people from the Salomon family in Neve Tsuf and wounding a fourth. Al-Abed is being charged with three counts of murder.

According to the indictment, he confessed to the crime, telling investigators he chose the family he targeted after hearing laughter coming from their living room on Friday night, where they were having dinner. The family was celebrating the birth of a new grandchild.

On July 18, al-Abed reportedly told a Gaza woman that he was in contact with on WhatsApp about his intentions to carry out a stabbing attack, allegedly writing that “we must wage jihad for the Al-Aqsa Mosque.”