Four Israelis were killed and two others seriously wounded on Tuesday afternoon in a terrorist attack in the southern city of Beersheba.
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The terrorist, identified as Mohammad Jalab Abu al-Quian, a 34-year-old resident of the Bedouin town of Hura in the Negev, was killed by an armed civilian, but not before carrying out one of the deadliest attacks in Israel in years, police and emergency services said.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.
"It appeared to be a single terrorist who went on a stabbing rampage," police spokesman Eli Levy told Channel 13 News. "A civilian was able to intervene and fatally shot him."
Magen David Adom emergency service said three women and a man were killed by the terrorist, who began his killing spree at a gas station before running over to an outdoor shopping center, wreaking havoc in his wake.
The victims were rushed to the city's Soroka Medical Center, where two Israelis remain in serious condition.
Initial police investigations show that al-Quian arrived at the gas station on Derech Hevron in Beersheba, with a knife in hand. There, he fatally stabbed a female employee. He then made his way to a nearby Big strip mall, rammed a cyclist with his vehicle then immediately exited the car and stabbed several other passersby.
Footage of the scene shows that while looking for more victims – bloody knife in hand – the terrorist was confronted by an armed bus driver, who is clearly heard telling him to lower his weapon several times. Al-Quian then lunged at the driver, who shot him.
First responders reported that the terrorist was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to media reports, al-Quian worked as a teacher in the Hura high school. He was arrested in June 2015 over suspected affiliation with a terrorist group and admitted he was an Islamic State sympathizer.
He further confessed to planning to leave for Syria to join ISIS under the guise of leaving for a religious holiday in Saudi Arabia. In 2016, as part of a plea bargain, he admitted to a list of security offenses and was sentenced to four years in prison and an additional year suspended sentence. He was released in 2019.
Israel Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai, who arrived at the scene, said the entire incident lasted eight minutes, with police officers arriving at the scene four minutes after being alerted.
Shabtai said that all signs pointed to this being a lone-wolf attack, and commended the civilians who stopped the terrorist for their resourcefulness.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett condemned the attack and vowed that security forces would track down any accomplices.
He, too, lauded the civilians who neutralized the terrorist, saying they prevented a much graver tragedy.
"I send my deepest condolences to the families of those killed in the horrific attack in Beersheba and pray for the speedy recovery of the wounded," he tweeted. "The civilians who shot the terrorist demonstrated courage and determination and prevented further victims.
"We will act with a strong hand against those who carry out terrorist attacks. We will hunt and reach those who help them," he wrote, adding that security forces were on "maximum alert."
President Isaac Herzog issued a statement saying, "Together with everyone in Israel, I send my condolences to the families of the victims. I am confident that security forces will act decisively and that those responsible will be brought to justice."
Defense Minister Benny Gantz also sent condolences to the victims' families, saying that the defense establishment "will use all means to prevent terrorist attacks. We are on high alert against all threats in all areas.
"We will make sure that anyone who encourages or supports the latest attacks will pay a price," he said.
Public Security Minister Omer Barlev said the attack was carried out by a "wretched terrorist," adding, "We will not rest until we eradicate nationalist terrorism, hunt down and push back the terrorists wherever they are."
Foreign Minister Yair Lapid tweeted his condolences to the families, saying, "Anyone who tries to harm innocent civilians needs to know that Israel will find them and bring them to justice."
Coalition partner Ra'am issued a statement condemning the "despicable attack in Beersheba," and sending condolences to the families of those killed.
"Ra'am urges all citizens to preserve the common, fragile social fabric, to be responsible and advance a discourse of tolerance in this difficult hour," the Islamist party said.
Joint Arab List leader MK Ayman Odeh tweeted that he "read with shock about the murderous incident in Beersheba. …Violence is not our way and we must strongly condemn it," he wrote, offering condolences to the victims' families and wishing the wounded a speedy recovery.
Opposition Leader Benjamin Netanyahu denounced the attack, saying it demanded "immediate action to apprehend all those involved. They must be brought to justice."
He challenged Bennett and Lapid to "disregard all political considerations and immediately see to the apprehension of the terrorists and restoration of security to the residents of Beersheba and the south."
The Hura Local Council issued a statement condemning the attack "in every way possible. Attacking innocent civilians is a criminal and despicable act of terrorism. The council calls on both Arabs and Jews of the Negev to maintain the neighborly relations between the two sides that there has been until now."
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The Gaza Strip-based terrorist group celebrated the attack, with social media posts showing festivities on the streets.
Hamas, the terrorist group that controls the coastal enclave, lauded the attack, saying it "salutes the perpetrator of this heroic operation in occupied Beersheba."
It stopped short of claiming al-Quian as a member, however, most likely over the fact that he was a known ISIS sympathizer.
"The occupation's crimes shall be met with heroic operations: stabbings, rammings, and shootings," a Hamas spokesperson told local media.
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad said the attack was "a response to the crimes of the Zionist terrorism in the occupied Negev," adding it would "deter the occupation."
