Five people were killed in two separate terror attacks Thursday afternoon.
At around three in the afternoon, two people were killed and one injured in a stabbing attack in a synagogue in the Panorama building on Ben Tzvi Street in southern Tel Aviv. The Arab terrorist was apprehended by bystanders, sustaining light injuries, and arrested. The terrorist was identified as Raid Halil bin Mahmoud, a 36-year-old resident of Dura, in the Hebron region. He had passed a security check and possessed a permit to work in Israel and was employed by a restaurant near the scene of the attack, police said.
Hamas reacted to the attack by Tweeting on their official account, “We welcome the heroic operation in Tel Aviv that killed two people. We call on the Palestinians to continue such activities.”
The attack comes one day after the anniversary of the grisly massacre in a synagogue in the Har Nof neighborhood of Jerusalem. Four Jewish worshipers were killed in the attack and a Druze policeman was killed in a courageous attempt to subdue the attackers. A sixth victim succumbed to his wounds three weeks ago.
At 4:30 Thursday afternoon, two Israelis and a Palestinian victim were killed in an attack in Gush Etzion near the town of Alon Shvut, and seven were injured. An 18 year old American tourist was one of the fatalities and other American tourists were among the injured. The two terrorists attacked with an Uzi automatic gun and used their car to ram vehicles and pedestrians. Security forces shot one of the terrorists,injuring him, before arresting them. One of the terrorists has been identified as Shadi Arfa, a resident of Hevron.
BREAKING VIDEO: Moment Israeli security forces subdue Palestinian gunmen in Gush Etzion Shooting . 3 dead. pic.twitter.com/HtpUlP39av
— Lisa Daftari (@LisaDaftari) November 19, 2015
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reacted to the attack:
“The murderous terror has struck Gush Etzion and Tel Aviv. My heart is with the families of the murdered and I send my wishes for a speedy recovery to the wounded. Whoever condemned the attacks in France needs to condemn the attacks in Israel. It’s the same terror. Whoever does not do this is a hypocrite and blind.”
SUMMARY (Gush Etzion Jnc.): @Mdais #paramedics treated 6 vic: 1 killed-18 y/o, 1 critical, 4 mild #IsraelUnderAttack pic.twitter.com/l50DtcRbtW
— MAGEN DAVID ADOM (@Mdais) November 19, 2015
