After a Bedouin resident of the Negev murdered four Israelis in a stabbing attack in Beersheba Tuesday afternoon, the Israel Police raised the level of alert nationwide out of concern of a possible escalation of violence as the Ramadan holiday approaches. This year, Ramadan will also coincide with the one-year anniversary of the violent riots that erupted in mixed cities during Operation Guardian of the Walls in the Gaza Strip in May 2021.
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A high-ranking police official said Tuesday that "We think that stabbing terrorist attacks are back, that terrorism is reappearing."
Shortly after 4 p.m. on Tuesday, a Bedouin man from Hura – later named as Muhammad Abu Qi'an, 34 – stabbed Yitzhak to death at a gas station. He then got into his car and drove to a nearby shopping center, where he ran down a cyclist. Then he headed toward the shops and stabbed three more women and a man in his 60s.
The attack ended when two armed civilians shot Abu Qi'an, who had spent time in prison for terrorist activity. According to Kan 11 News, he was known to be a supporter of the Islamic State.
Doris Yahbas, 49, a mother of three from Moshav Gilat, was one of the four Israelis murdered on Tuesday. Yahbas' funeral is scheduled to take place on the moshav at 2 p.m. Wednesday. Her nephew, Yisrael Ozan, is a member of one of the first teams of paramedics scrambled to the scene of the attack.
"I went to treat a wounded woman who was unconscious, and while I was worked I saw that she was my aunt, my mom's sister," Ozan said. "She was showing no signs of life and we were forced to declare her dead. I was shocked but I had to keep functioning."
Chabad Rabbi Moshe Kravitzky was also killed on Tuesday when the terrorist ran him down while he was riding his bicycle. For a decade, Kravitzky had been in charge of a soup kitchen in the Nahal Beka neighborhood of Beersheba.
Laura Yitzhak, 43, also a mother of three children, was also stabbed to death in the attack. Yitzhak's brother is a police officer in Beersheba and he was informed of her death while on duty.
The fourth victim of the attack was Menahem Yehezkel, 67. Yehezkel left behind a sister and three brothers. He is scheduled to be laid to rest at 3 p.m. Wednesday in the new cemetery in Beersheba.
The Times of Israel reported that the Abu Qi'an clan released a statement condemning the terrorist's actions, calling it a "criminal act" and saying that Abu Qi'an's violent acts did not represent the family. The statement also said that the family believed in co-existence and following the law.
Prior to Tuesday's fatal stabbing, March 2022 had seen seven terrorist attacks that left three civilians and eight police officers wounded.
Public Security Minister Omer Barlev said Tuesday that the Beersheba attack had been "brutal" and carried out by a "terrorist who it would have been better not to release from prison in 2019. We will not rest until we put an end to ethno-religious terrorism and pursue and capture the terrorists, wherever they are."
The police are concerned that Palestinians unaffiliated with any terrorist organization will be influenced by the Ramadan atmosphere and the religious incitement that goes along with it, and decide to perpetrate lone wolf attacks.
As of Tuesday, despite concerns about possible copycat attacks, the IDF had not held any non-routine situation assessments or made a decision to bolster forces. In the past few weeks, the IDF has been preparing for a possible escalation of tensions in Judea and Samaria. If it turns out that Israel is facing a new wave of terrorism, the IDF will need to change its decision not to raise the level of alert and deploy additional forces to Judea and Samaria to increase deterrence.
International officials condemned Tuesday's attack.
"Despicable terrorist attack today in Beersheba," said US Ambassador to Israel Thomas Nides. "This has to stop! My heart goes out to the victims and their families."
The UN Special Coordinator for Middle East Peace Tor Wennesland also condemned the attack, saying there is "no justification for violence or terrorism."
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"There is nothing heroic in the killing of civilians, and there is no excuse for praising such acts. It must be condemned by all," he stated.
Wennesland went on to say that he is "increasingly alarmed by the continued violence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel that is taking place on a daily basis. This is the seventh stabbing attack against Israelis this month."
He added that these incidents "only highlight the volatility of the situation and the urgent need for all leaders to work together against the spiral of violence."
EU Ambassador to Israel Dimiter Tzantchev also sent condolences to families of the victims, unequivocally condemning "such senseless acts."
JNS.org contributed to this report.
