In a tragic incident during the morning rush hour on Sunday, a Palestinian attacker stabbed and killed a woman and wounded three others in the city of Holon, just outside Tel Aviv. The attacker was later shot and “neutralized” by police, according to Israeli authorities.
The attack occurred near a gas station and a park, with the initial report of the stabbings coming from Israel’s ambulance service. A 66-year-old woman was fatally wounded, while two other senior citizens sustained serious injuries and were rushed to a hospital. A younger man also suffered injuries in the attack.
“Large police forces are present at the scene and are conducting extensive searches with a helicopter and additional resources,” the police said in a statement. The police confirmed that the attacker, identified as a resident of the West Bank, had been neutralized. They are continuing to search for other potential suspects in the area.
The incident has added to the rising tensions in the region, which have been particularly high since the Hamas attack on October 7 last year, igniting the war in Gaza. The situation has been further exacerbated by the recent killings of a senior Hezbollah commander in Lebanon and Hamas’ top political leader in Iran.
Initially, police reported that four people had been wounded in the attack. Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service later confirmed that the 66-year-old woman had died. The service also provided an update on the conditions of the injured: a 70-year-old man remains in critical condition, a 68-year-old man is in severe condition, and a 26-year-old man is in moderate condition.
The stabbing in Holon underscores the ongoing and volatile nature of the conflict in the region, with both Israeli and Palestinian lives being tragically affected.