In the weeks preceding the stabbing, Palestinians and Israeli Arabs had perpetrated a string of deadly attacks in Israel, making it the deadliest period since 2006.[4] A week before the attack, two Hamas supporters from Nablus murdered a security guard in Ariel. While the search for the murderers was still going on by the Israeli Police, Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, made a public speech where he encouraged the Palestinian and Israeli Arabs to "raise every possible weapon, will it be a rifle, a pistol, or a knife" against Israelis.[5]
Attack
The attackers arrived at Shlomo Ibn Gbirol street at 20:35 local time, holding axes and a pistol.[6] They encountered a security guard, who tried to stop them but was killed by the attackers.[7] They then arrived at the nearby central park in El'ad, which was full of visitors who came to celebrate the 74th Independence Day of Israel, and began to attack them, killing two more men and wounding four more.
Two of the killed victims were in their 40s, while the third victim was a 35-year-old man. A fourth victim, a 75-year-old man, succumbed to his wounds in February 2023, eight months after the attack.[1] A 60-year-old man and a 35-year-old man suffered serious injuries.[6] Fighting the attackers, a 40-year-old man was moderately injured and a 23-year-old man lightly injured.[6]
Assailants
The two assailants were identified by the Israeli Police as As'ad Alrafa'ani (20) and Sabhi Shajir (19) from Rummanah, near Jenin in the West Bank.[2] Both escaped in a vehicle after the attack.[8] After two days of searching, they were caught hiding in a nearby forest, between Elad and Rosh HaAyin, by two Shin Bet agents and an officer from Maglan commando unit.[9]
Reactions
The President of the State of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas, said that "The killing of Palestinians and Israelis only leads to a further deterioration in the situation at a time when we are all begging to achieve stability and prevent escalation".[10]
Some Palestinians in Nablus, Tulkarm, Gaza City and Khan Yunis celebrated the attack, handing out candies to passers-by.[14] A video encouraging the murder of Jews with an axe circulated on a Palestinian Telegram channel.[14]
World leaders - including the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the Secretary of State of the United States, Antony Blinken - condemned the attack and expressed their condolences.[16]
