What we know about the deaths of two people near Tel Aviv

Two people, a 66-year-old woman and an octogenarian, died from their injuries. Two others were injured in the attack, one of them seriously.

Street attack. Two people were killed in a knife attack in Holon, in the southern suburbs of Tel Aviv (Israel)Sunday August 4. Police said the suspect, a resident of the occupied West Bank, had been “neutralized” before succumbing to his injuries in hospital. Franceinfo takes stock of what we know about this attack.

Two dead and two injured

The attack occurred on Sunday morning on a street inHolon, a city located in the suburbs of Tel Aviv. Two Israelis, a 66-year-old woman and a man aged around 80, died of their injuries shortly after the attack. A 68-year-old man and a 26-year-old were also injured, according to Magen David Dom, Israel’s equivalent of the Red Cross. The 60-year-old is in serious condition.

“This was a complex and difficult terrorist attack, with victims in three different locations [de la ville d’Holon], about 500 meters from each other”stressed Magen David Adom. The 26-year-old man, the first victim of the attack, was stabbed while running with his dog, Israeli media outlet Ynet reported.

The assailant then fled to a park and stabbed a couple, killing the 66-year-old woman and seriously injuring her 68-year-old husband, according to the Israeli website. The attacker eventually reached a gas station, where he stabbed an octogenarian, who died of his injuries after the attack.

Suspect “neutralized” by police

The suspect of this “suspected terrorist attack” was quickly “neutralized” by a police officer who arrived at the scene, the police said in a statement. The officers approached the attacker and ordered him to drop his knife but “he did not comply” and they opened fire, Tel Aviv district police chief Peretz Amar told reporters.

“Our officers fired [sur l’assaillant] shortly after he started attacking”said acting Israeli police chief Avshalom Peled, speaking at the scene of the attack. “The policy is that in any incident of this type, when we encounter a terrorist, he does not come out alive.” Shamir Medical Center in Holon said the attacker arrived in critical condition at the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reports that police identified the perpetrator of the attack as Amar Razak Kamal Odeh, a resident of the occupied West Bank originally from the Palestinian town of Salfit. He is believed to be entered Israel illegally.

Israeli government condemns attack

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir visited Holon shortly after the attack. “All Israelis must carry firearms, it saves lives”judged the far-right minister. “Our war is not only against Iran, but also here in the streets, and that is exactly why we have armed the Israeli population with more than 150,000 gun licenses,” he added, during a speech to journalists present on site.

Benjamin Netanyahu did not go to the scene, but offered his condolences and wishes for recovery to the families of the victims on X. The Israeli Prime Minister also congratulated the police officers who participated in eliminating the attacker. “We will settle accounts with all those who cooperated with him.”promised Benjamin Netanyahu.

For his part, Israeli President Isaac Herzog sent his condolences to the bereaved families. In a statement, he also expressed his support for the security forces. “in their fight to eradicate the threat of terror, wherever it manifests itself.”