Hamas claimed responsibility for the combined ramming and stabbing attacks in Ra’anana on Monday afternoon, which left over a dozen people wounded and one person dead.
A terrorist stabbed a woman while another terrorist stole a car and proceeded to carry out ramming attacks in several locations, Israel Police confirmed. The terrorist swapped vehicles three times after crashing, the police stated. The terrorists were Muhammad Zaidat, 44, and Ahmed Zaidat, 24, both from Hebron and were later arrested.
Two people were slightly injured after being run over on Haroshet Street, where a 66-year-old man was also seriously stabbed.
An additional fifteen people were injured to varying degrees, including a 34-year-old man and a 16-year-old boy in serious condition with head injuries, as a result of the ramming on Ahuza Street, the main street of the city.
The director of the emergency medicine department at the Schneider Pediatric Center, Dr. Ron Brunett, said that seven children were brought in for treatment. Six of the children are aged between 10-16 and are in mild condition.
An eyewitness told Maariv that the road was “unusually quiet,” and that’s when he heard two cars crashing into each other. “I was sure that it was a car accident,” Eden Alfi said. “Another person was with me, noticed the situation and shouted ‘an attack, an attack’. After that, I saw the terrorist. I saw him stabbing a man around 60 years old. The man fell and the terrorist ran away.”
Three of the victims overall are in serious condition, seven are in moderate condition, and five are lightly injured.
The injured were taken to Meir Medical Center in Kfar Saba and Rabin Medical Center-Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva.
Viola Hachmon, a paramedic for Magen David Adom (MDA) who provided first aid on Ahuza Street, told The Jerusalem Post, “This is a very difficult event with many injured. To my knowledge, everyone has already been evacuated to various hospitals, including those in critical condition.”
MDA paramedic Eli Raymond, who arrived at one of the scenes, said, “We arrived at the scene with large forces and began performing an initial triage and providing medical treatment to about eight wounded people with different degrees of injury.”
“Following an unusual incident currently in Ra’anana, police forces are on the scene, and the circumstances of the incident are being investigated,” Israel Police said in a statement. “The public is asked to be vigilant and obey the police officer’s instructions.”
“Initially, it was unclear whether this was a terrorist attack or a vehicular incident,” Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai said in a statement in Ra’anana on Monday. “However, following swift action by the Kfar Saba police, we understood that there were two terrorists involved and two separate scenes.
“Once we grasped the magnitude of the incident, we deployed forces immediately. Ultimately, thanks to determined action, a very quick pursuit, and the lockdown of the areas, we managed to apprehend the second terrorist. Both terrorists are residents of Hebron, family members who entered the area illegally.”
Schools in the area were placed on lockdown, and parents were told not to take their children outside their homes, the mayor’s office announced after the attacks.
One death
The 70-year-old woman who was badly wounded during the attack has died, according to Israeli media.
This is a developing story.
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