Two Palestinian men killed an elderly woman and wounded at least 17 other people — including numerous children — in a daylight terror attack Monday in west-central Israel, police say.
The men, who are believed to be related and who entered Israel illegally from the West Bank last week, stabbed at least three people during a rampage in which they stole three cars and used them to run over pedestrians.
The attacks began at around 1:30 p.m. local time, The Times of Israel reported, citing police sources and witnesses.
Per the report, the men stole a car in the Israeli city of Ra’anana just around the time local children were getting out of school for the day.
They pulled the driver, a woman, out of the vehicle, stabbed her and then used her car to run over several other victims. At some point, the vehicle got stuck, so the two abandoned it.
They then carjacked another vehicle and continued their rampage through the city, police said.
Children were among those targeted in the second rampage.
According to Haaretz, the two suspects crashed the second car during their attacks and hijacked another one.
One of the perpetrators stabbed a female motorist and two others while he sought another vehicle. The other man commandeered a second vehicle and the duo continued to ram into civilians.
Will the conflict in Israel soon escalate?
“I saw someone stab three people next to the mall, steal a car and run people over with it,” a witness to the attacks told the Times of Israel.
One of the victims died at a local hospital.
Our mission to restore security for the Israeli people has never been more pressing.
Just this morning, a Palestinian terrorist stabbed an innocent 79-year-old woman to death, then used multiple cars to run down 17 other pedestrians in the city of Ra’anana. pic.twitter.com/nnnJu4ILmS
— Tzipi Hotovely (@TzipiHotovely) January 15, 2024
She was later identified as 79-year-old Edna Bluestein of Ra’anana.
The victim of today’s Palestinian terror attack in the Israeli city of Ra’anana has been identified as 79-year-old Edna Blustein, a resident of the city.
May her memory be a blessing. 🕯️ pic.twitter.com/qbfep7s00E
— Avi Mayer אבי מאיר (@AviMayer) January 15, 2024
Seven of the 17 victims were described as either children or teenagers.
Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst shared a video from the scene, which showed a white sedan crashed into a curb.
Investigators and soldiers were guarding the scene, some of them with rifles.
UPDATE: One Israeli killed, 17 wounded in ramming/stabbing attack in Ra’anana. Two suspects arrested are Palestinians from Hebron. pic.twitter.com/Z1wXacJ5DR
— Trey Yingst (@TreyYingst) January 15, 2024
Police identified the suspects as 25-year-old Ahmed Zidat and his uncle, 44-year-old Mahmoud Zidad of Bani Naim, a town in the West Bank.
It is believed both suspects entered Israel last week after having been previously banned from the country and had been working at a car wash in Ra’anana.
Both were arrested and interrogated.
Two victims from the attacks were hospitalized in critical condition — a 16-year-old boy and a 34-year-old man — the Times reported.
Monday’s terror attacks come amid Israel’s fourth month of fighting Islamic terror following the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks that left more than 1,200 Israeli citizens dead.
Police said they believe there might be additional suspects in Monday’s deadly attacks.
