Palestinian kills Israeli, is shot dead in Tel Aviv

Palestinian kills Israeli, is shot dead in Tel Aviv
The attack comes a day after a 19-year-old Palestinian was killed by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.
2 min read
Tel Aviv police said the Palestinian opened fire at a municipal inspector in the city centre (Photo by Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images)

A Palestinian man killed an Israeli municipal officer in commercial hub Tel Aviv on Saturday, before being fatally shot by another officer, authorities said.

The attack comes amid ongoing deadly Israeli raids in the occupied West Bank and a day after a 19-year-old Palestinian was killed by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.

Tel Aviv police said the Palestinian had opened fire at a municipal inspector in the city centre, who according to the Magen David Adom emergency service was taken to hospital "in critical condition", where he later died.

The Palestinian assailant was taken to hospital where officials later pronounced him dead.

MENA
Live Story

Israel's Shin Bet domestic security service identified the gunman as Kamal Abu Bahar, 22, originally from the Jenin area, the site of frequent Israeli attacks in the northern West Bank.

The Shin Bet claimed Abu Bahar was a sympathiser of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which Israel deems a terrorist organisation.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

A spokesman for Hamas, the Islamist movement that rules the besieged Gaza Strip, said the attack was "a response to the crimes of the occupation and settlers against our people".

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu paid tribute to the "vigilance" of municipal officers which had helped "avert a far more serious attack".

Israeli violence this year  has killed at least 208 Palestinians.