Israel: At least three killed in Elad city attack, say medics

Israel: At least three killed in Elad city attack, say medics
Israeli medics say that at least three people have been killed in the city of Elad on Thursday, while two others reman in a serious condition.
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The attack, which killed three people, happened on Thursday night [Getty]

At least three people were killed in an attack in the central Israeli city of Elad as the country marked its 'Independence Day' on Thursday, medics said.

The Magen David Adom (MDA) emergency response service said two others were in a serious condition after the incident, which follows a series of deadly events in Palestine's illegally occupied West Bank and Israel since late March.

Two others suffered moderate or light injuries, according to the MDA, which is Israel's version of the Red Cross.

Israeli police claim that a Palestinian is behind the attack, reported Reuters.

The majority of Elad's residents are members of Israel's ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, known as Haredim.

Palestinians in the West Bank have also faced violence since late March, with Israeli security conducting a series of raids in the West Bank, particularly in Jenin and Hebron.

These have killed 27 Palestinians, including women and teenagers. Some of the Palestinians were killed in refugee camps.

One Palestinian woman was shot dead as she held her hands above her head and ran away from the Israeli forces opening fire at her in April, graphic footage of the incident showed.

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Ghada Ibrahim Ali Sabateen, a widow and mother-of-six, had been walking near a checkpoint near Bethlehem and had been unarmed according to an Israeli forces spokesperson, who claimed that she looked "suspicious".

Another majority Haredi city in Israel, Bnei Brak, as well as Tel Aviv, also witnessed attacks allegedly conducted by Palestinians in March.

Excluding Thursday's deaths, recent attacks in Israel have killed 15 people, including a Palestinian citizen of Israel who died of his wounds.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in early April gave "full freedom" of operation to security forces, and said that "there are not and will not be limits for this war".

Rights groups have repeatedly slammed Israel for showing "appalling disregard for human life" by using "reckless and unlawful lethal force" against Palestinians.

Israelis celebrated the 1948 establishment of their state from on its 'Independence Day' from Wednesday evening to Thursday evening.

It comes before Nakba Day on 15 May, which remembers the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who were ethnically cleansed and forced to leave their homes alongside Israel's creation.

 

The New Arab, AFP and Reuters contributed to this report.

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