Israel: gun attack leaves at least two dead in the south of the country
A gun attack in southern Israel on Friday left at least two people dead and four injured. The attacker is believed to be a Palestinian from Jerusalem. For the Prime Minister, this attack underlines that the whole country is a front.
Israeli police officers search a vehicle at the site of a gun attack near the municipality of Kiryat Malakhi in the south of the country, February 16, 2024. AP - Tsafrir Abayov
By: RFI Follow
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With our special correspondent in Jerusalem
,
Guilhem Delteil
The attack took place in the morning, along a busy road east of the city of Ashdod. At the start of the weekend, several people were waiting at the bus stop. A car arrived, a man got out with a gun. He opened fire on those present.
The attacker was killed by a civilian traveling on the road. He was Palestinian and lived in a refugee camp in Jerusalem. The police initially cordoned off the area, looking for possible accomplices but believe he acted alone.
For Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this attack underlines “
that the whole country is a war front
”. And “
the murderers, who do not only come from Gaza, want to kill us all,
” he declared.
For his part, the Minister of Public Security sees this as proof “
that weapons save lives
.” A position that he has defended several times since the Hamas attacks on October 7. Coming from the far-right, Itamar Ben Gvir implemented a plan aimed at distributing weapons to civilians and he accelerated the processing of applications for permits to carry weapons. A policy that he now wants to develop.
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