Eight people were injured, five seriously in a terrorist ramming and stabbing attack in Tel Aviv Tuesday afternoon.
Rescue and medical forces are at the scene treating the injured, several of whom are in serious condition.
The terrorist has been identified as a 23-year-old resident of the Mount Hebron region.
According to eyewitnesses, the vehicle ran over two groups of pedestrians on the sidewalk before the driver got out and continued the attack using a knife. Armed civilians and a police officer who saw what was happening intervened and shot and killed the driver.
MDA EMTs and paramedics are providing medical treatment and evacuating five injured to the Meir, Beilinson and Ichilov hospitals: a 46-year-old woman in serious condition with multiple systemic injuries, two victims in their 30s in moderate condition with body injuries and two in light condition.
MDA EMT Alon Shonim said: "We arrived at the scene with Intensive care and BLS ambulances. We saw that it was a very serious scene, and five injured people were lying near a bus stop, a 46-year-old woman was lying on the sidewalk while she was conscious and suffering from multi-system damage, five other injured people in their 30s were moderately and lightly injured and were taken to the hospital in an MDA intensive care ambulance."
United Hatzalah volunteer EMTs Yossi Ackler and Dvir Adani said: “According to passersby the car crashed into the bus stop and gunshots were heard. With the assistance of a United Hatzalah ambulance team, we provided initial treatment to the injured, who were then transported to the hospital. Due to the nature of the incident, United Hatzalah’s Psychotrauma and Crisis Response Unit treated a number of people at the scene for emotional shock.”
The attack comes one day after a teenage terrorist stabbed a Jewish man in the haredi city of Bnei Brak, and as Israeli security forces are engaged in a large-scale military operation in Jenin.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said in response to the attack: "Our enemies want to harm us in Tel Aviv, in Eli, and everywhere in the Land of Israel, and against them we need to show unity and determination in Tel Aviv, in Eli, and everywhere in the Land of Israel. Our heroic soldiers are working even at this time to harm the terrorists and their messengers in Jenin and we pray for their well-being and success. The Israel Defense Forces and the security forces will lay their hands on each of those who seek our harm. I wish a complete recovery to the wounded and embrace their families."
Hamas spokesman Hazem Kassem praised the attack in Tel Aviv and said that "it is the first response to the occupation's crimes against our people in the Jenin camp. This is an implementation of what the resistance promised - that the occupation will pay the price for its crimes."