Israel-Palestine latest: Tel Aviv car and knife attack leaves eight injured as Jenin raid continues
A suspected Palestinian car-ramming and stabbing attack injured at least eight people in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, Israeli police have said.
A medical official said the incident appeared to have included at least one stabbing victim, and that a suspected assailant had been “neutralised” by first-responders.
Islamist militant group Hamas claimed the attack was carried out by one of its members as a response to Israel’s ongoing military operation in the occupied West Bank.
Earlier the United Nations said three children are among ten people killed during an Israeli military operation in Jenin, as it raised alarm over the scale of the operation.
UN aid agencies on Tuesday also said there were restrictions on medical access. “We are alarmed at the scale of air and ground operations that are taking place in Jenin in the occupied West Bank, and airstrikes hitting a densely populated refugee camp,” Vanessa Huguenin, a spokesperson for the UN humanitarian office, told a briefing.
She said three children were among those killed, without providing details.
Key Points
Seven injured after ‘Palestinian’ car-ramming and stabbing attack
Three Palestinian children among dead - UN
Thousands flee Jenin refugee camp to escape Israeli operation
At least 10 dead as Israel launches one of its biggest military operations
Journalists ‘directly targeted’ by Israeli army in Jenin
Israel’s minister of national security visits scene as he praises ‘brave citizen’ who shot dead suspected attacker
15:05 , Martha Mchardy
Israel’s minister of national security Itamar Ben-Gvir visited the scene of a car-ramming attack in Tel Aviv that injured eight people.
Israeli security and rescue forces were seen examining the scene, where one person was reportedly stabbed before the suspected attacker was shot dead by an armed civilian
Ben-Gvir praised the “brave citizen” for shooting the suspected attacker, saying their actions prevented the escalation of the situation further and saved lives.
He added that the “neutralisation” is proof of the importance and effectiveness of armed civilians.
The Israel Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai also visited the scene.
Eight injured in Tel Aviv car ramming and stabbing attack as Jenin raid continues
14:46 , Martha Mchardy
A suspected Palestinian car-ramming and stabbing attack injured at least eight people in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, Israeli police have said.
A medical official said the incident appeared to have included at least one stabbing victim, and that a suspected assailant had been “neutralised” by first-responders.
Islamist militant group Hamas claimed the attack was carried out by one of its members as a response to Israel’s ongoing military operation in the occupied West Bank.
Watch: Aftermath of car-ramming that injured several Tel Aviv
14:25 , Martha Mchardy
UN agencies 'alarmed' at scale of Jenin raid
14:01 , Martha Mchardy
UN aid agencies have voiced alarm at the scale of the ongoing Israeli military operation in the West Bank town of Jenin, where 10 Palestinians have been killed, saying there were restrictions on medical access.
The operation, which involved drone strikes and hundreds of troops and was one of the largest of its kind in years, entered a second day on Tuesday, prompting the evacuation of thousands of people from a refugee camp.
“We are alarmed at the scale of air and ground operations that are taking place in Jenin in the occupied West Bank, and air strikes hitting a densely populated refugee camp,” Vanessa Huguenin, a spokesperson for the UN humanitarian office, told a briefing, saying three minors were among those killed. She did not immediately respond to a request for the victims’ ages.
Damage to infrastructure caused by air strikes have cut off most of the water and electricity at the camp, she added. The Palestinian Red Crescent previously said it has evacuated around 3,000 people.
The Red Cross said it was “extremely concerned by the alarming intensification of armed violence” in Jenin.
The World Health Organization and medical charity MSF both raised concerns about access.
“Attacks against healthcare including prevention of access to persons injured are extremely concerning,” said WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier, adding that restrictions put in place by Israeli forces meant first responders could not reach those critically injured within the camp.
Medical charity MSF said that military bulldozers had destroyed roads leading to the camp, making it nearly impossible for ambulances to reach patients.
“Palestinian paramedics have been forced to proceed on foot, in an area with active gunfire and drone strikes,” it said.
Israel says the objective of its operation is to uproot Iranian-backed Palestinian factions behind a surge in gun and bomb attacks, as well as preliminary efforts to make rockets.
“Israel ensures that humanitarian assistance is provided and does not apply any limitation on access for medical staff, except in places where the lives of medical staff is at risk due to exchanges of fire,” its diplomatic mission in Geneva said in a statement.
Hamas claims Tel Aviv attack carried out by one of its members
13:44 , Martha Mchardy
Hamas has claimed the car-ramming and stabbing attack in Tel Aviv was carried out by one of its members.
The group identified the attacker as Abdel-Wahhab Issa Hussein Khalayleh, a 20-year-old from Hebron, saying he struck Israel’s commercial capital in retaliation for the ongoing military raid in the flashpoint West Bank town of Jenin, in which 10 Palestinians have been killed during clashes with local gunmen.
“This heroic (Tel Aviv) operation is an act of self-defence in the face of the ongoing Zionist massacre in Jenin, the crimes of displacement, killing and destruction executed by occupation forces,” Hamas said in a statement.
UK urges Israeli Defence Forces to ‘demonstrate restraint’
13:41 , Martha Mchardy
The UK is urging the Israeli Defence Forces to “demonstrate restraint, to adhere to the principles of international humanitarian law and to prioritise the protection of civilians”, a Foreign Office minister, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, has said.
MPs call on Government to take action to bring conflict in Israel to an end
13:27 , Martha Mchardy
Labour and senior Conservative MPs have called on the Government to take action aimed at bringing the conflict in Israel to an end.
Shadow Foreign Office minister Wayne David told the Commons: “The only real solution will be a settlement based on two states, a safe and secure Israel alongside a viable and independent Palestinian state.
“We strongly oppose actions which are making this two-state solution harder to achieve. So my question to the minister, my fundamental question, is what of substance is the minister and the Government doing to bring this immediate conflict to an end and lay the foundations for a two-state solution?”
Tory former minister Crispin Blunt said: “Understanding that this comes in the context of Israel building settlements that block the route to a settlement of this dispute, and understanding that Israel is failing to show restraint, failing to follow international humanitarian law, failing to protect civilians, what is the Government actually going to do?”
Foreign Office minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan said the UK had last week sent a co-ordinated message alongside Canada and Australia condemning illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, adding: “We will continue to work with our friends and allies to make that message clearly heard.”
13:21 , Martha Mchardy
A Conservative MP suggested Israel’s raid on the West Bank was a “proportionate attempt to reduce terrorism”, eliciting groans from the Opposition.
Harrow East MP Bob Blackman told the Commons: “So far, the Operation Home And Garden has resulted in the destruction of three labs, hundreds of IEDs, thousands of grenades, underneath the mosque there were two tunnels with hundreds of weapons, 120 people have been arrested and clearly the terrorist activity is going to be severely limited.
“Behind all this is the IRGC (Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) and Hamas, and the Jenin Battalion. Does she agree with me that this is a proportionate attempt to reduce terrorism against the state of Israel?”
Following groans of protest from opposition MPs, Foreign Office minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan said: “As I say, whilst the UK remains absolutely resolute in its commitment to Israel’s security and we condemn absolutely Hamas and other terrorist groups use of indiscriminate force, we call on all parties to maintain a proportionate balance so that we can de-escalate the existing situation and ensure that civilians are not caught up in this any more.”
Labour MP urges foreign secretary to ‘immediately suspend’ all arms sales to Israel Defence Forces
13:19 , Martha Mchardy
A Labour MP has urged the foreign secretary to “immediately suspend” all arms sales to the Israel Defence Forces.
Asking an urgent question, Cynon Valley MP Beth Winter told the Commons: “The UK currently holds the presidency of the UN Security Council and it is therefore responsible for guiding the response of the Security Council to requests made by the Palestinian authority. So can I please ask, what is the UK Government doing in its capacity as president of the UN Security Council?”
She went on: “Can the foreign secretary say what steps he will take to reveal whether the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) has made any use of UK’s arms sold to Israel in this attack and will he immediately suspend all arms sales, including surveillance technology, and will he ban collaboration between the UK and Israel’s armed forces and military industries as a result of this horrific attack on civilians?”
Foreign Office minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan replied: “As I say, whilst the UK will always support Israel’s right to self-defence, the protection of civilians and particularly children must always be prioritised.”
Emergency services on scene as seven hurt in car-ramming and stabbing attack
13:03 , Matt Mathers
Emergency services attended the scene of a car ramming after seven people were injured in an attack in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, 4 July. Holly Patrick reports:
Tel Aviv: Emergency services on scene as several hurt in car-ramming
UK government doing ‘everything possible’ to de-escalate situation
12:54 , Matt Mathers
MPs in the UK House of Commons are discussing Israel’s military operation in the West Bank.
Labour MP Beth Winter tabled an urgent question on the operation, in which 10 people have been killed.
Anne-Marie Trevelyan, a Foreign Office minister, said the government was doing “everything possible to de-escalate the situation”.
Israeli police issue update
12:26 , Matt Mathers
Israeli police have issued a statement with more details of the car-ramming attack in Tel Aviv.
Officers said the suspect was driving a vehicle travelling from south to north on Pinchas Rosen Street in Tel Aviv.
He then “rammed into pedestrians standing in the shopping centre and proceeded to get out of the vehicle to stab civilians with a sharp object”.
The victims were taken to the Beilinson and Ichilov hospitals, according to medical officials.
Israel authorities respond to attack
12:20 , Matt Mathers
Members of Israeli security and emergency personnel work at the site of a reported car-ramming attack in Tel Aviv on July 4, 2023.
The suspected attack has resulted in injuries police and medics said, on the second day of a major Israeli army operation in the occupied West Bank.
Initial reports said 10 people had been injured. This has since been revised down to six.
Hamas praises ‘heroic attack'
12:12 , Matt Mathers
The Palestinian militant group Hamas has praised the car-ramming attack, describing it as “heroic”.
Spokesman Muhammad Hamadeh said in a statement the attack in Tel Aviv was part of “a natural response to the ongoing massacre of our people, and a legitimate self-defence against the [Israeli] occupation’s violation of all human norms”.
“The occupier must prepare to count his dead and injured, for the blood of our children is not cheap,” the statement added.
One ‘car-ramming’ victim in serious condition - ambulance
12:10 , Matt Mathers
One of the victims in the car-ramming attack is in a serious condition, authorities in Israel say.
Israel’s emergency medical service also said two people are in a moderate condition and one person is in a mild condition.
Reports say the alleged attacker was shot and killed at the scene.
Breaking: Seven injured in suspected Palestinian car-ramming
11:27 , Matt Mathers
A suspected Palestinian car-ramming and stabbing attack injured at least seven people in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, police have confirmed.
A medical official said the incident appeared to have included at least one stabbing victim, and that a suspected assailant had been "neutralised" by first-responders.
Initial reports said the number of people injured was 10.
We’ll have more on this breaking story as it comes in.
‘Nearly impossible’ for ambulances to reach injured - charity
11:13 , Matt Mathers
A medical charity treating injured Palestinian has said it is “nearly impossible” for ambulances to reach those needing treatment after Israeli military bulldozers “destroyed multiple roads” leading to the Jenin refugee camp.
“As a result, during the raid, Palestinian paramedics have been forced to proceed on foot in an area with active gunfire and drone strikes,” Médecins Sans Frontières said in a statement.
“All roads leading to the refugee camp have been blocked for the duration of the military operation despite the presence of patients in need of care inside.”
Three children among dead - UN
10:13 , Matt Mathers
Three children are among ten people killed during an Israeli military operation in the Jenin, the United Nations has said.
UN aid agencies on Tuesday also voiced alarm at the scale of the ongoing operation in the West Bank town of Jenin, where ten Palestinians have been killed, and said there were restrictions on medical access.
"We are alarmed at the scale of air and ground operations that are taking place in Jenin in the occupied West Bank, and airstrikes hitting a densely populated refugee camp," Vanessa Huguenin, a spokesperson for the UN humanitarian office, told a briefing.
She said three children were among those killed, without providing details.
"First responders have been prevented from entering the (Jenin) refugee camp, including to reach persons who have been critically injured," said WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier, referring to restrictions put in place by Israeli forces.
Israeli army says operation in Jenin could end soon
10:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Israel is close to completing its Jenin operation, a senior aide to prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday after the fiercest fighting in Jenin refugee camp forced thousands of Palestinians to flee.
The operation “is close to completing the achievement of the goals set”, Israeli nationals security adviser Tzachi Hanebi told Kan radio after a relative lull in the clashes overnight.
Brig Gen Daniel Hagari on Tuesday said that the military’s massive operation in Jenin could end faster than initially expected.
The military had preselected some dozens of targets to eliminate in terms of terror command centers and weapons and explosives storage areas, the spokesperson said, according to The Jerusalem Post.
Jenin operation close to finishing, Israel suggests
09:49 , Matt Mathers
An Israeli military operation in Jenin that has killed at least 10 Palestinians is close to finishing, a senior official has suggested.
The operation "is close to completing the achievement of the goals set," Israeli national security adviser Tzachi Hanebi told Kan radio after a relative lull in the clashes overnight.
The large-scale raid of the Jenin camp, which began Monday, is one of the most intense military operation in the occupied West Bank in nearly two decades.
It bore hallmarks of Israeli military tactics during the second Palestinian uprising in the early 2000s and came as prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces growing pressure from his ultranationalist political allies for a tough response to recent attacks on Israeli settlers, including a shooting last month that killed four people.
Journalists ‘directly targeted’ by Israeli army in Jenin
08:59 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Journalists reporting on the military operation in the occupied West Bank say they were “directly” fired upon by Israeli forces.
Video of the incident appears to show soldiers shooting at a camera and transmitter set up by al-Araby TV reporter Amid Shehadeh and video journalist Rabi Munir, setting the equipment ablaze, Wafa news agency reported.
Shehadeh said the troops “directly targeted” him and his colleague with more than six bullets fired.
Al Araby TV Network in a statement condemned the use of any kind of force against journalists.
“We call on all colleagues, as well human rights and media organizations, to join us in expressing their unequivocal rejection of these practices and their full support for freedom of the press and the absolute necessity of guaranteeing the safety of journalists,” said Al Araby TV Network.
Israeli killing of Palestinian girl, 15, in West Bank casts light on civilian casualties
08:51 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
At the funeral for Sadeel Naghniyeh, 15, her closest friends hoisted her dead body over their shoulders. Wearing their school uniforms — tight black hijabs and oversized striped shirts — they staggered through the Palestinian refugee camp, crying and choking out the Islamic funeral prayers.
Sadeel was killed by suspected Israeli fire when a raid into the northern Jenin refugee camp last week ignited the fiercest Israeli-Palestinian fighting in the occupied West Bank in years.
Typically in Palestinian funerals, older men — relatives and friends — parade the flag-draped body through the streets. At Sadeel's funeral, her eighth-grade classmates wrapped her in the uniform she would no longer wear.
More here.
Israeli killing of 15-year-old Palestinian girl in West Bank casts light on civilian casualties
Hamas says ready to intervene if aggression persists
08:49 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Hamas, which governs in Gaza, said on Monday that it was ready to intervene if Israel goes too far and “persists in its aggression” in Jenin.
“Our people and their resistance everywhere know how to respond to this barbaric aggression,” Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh reportedly said in a statement.
“We call on our people throughout the West Bank to stand by Jenin and defend its people in order to thwart the enemy’s plan.
“The blood being shed in Jenin will determine the nature of the next stage in all directions,” he added.
Halting contacts with Israel, Palestinian leadership says
08:29 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
The Palestinian leadership in the West Bank held an emergency meeting late yesterday and said it was halting its already limited contacts with Israel.
Leaders said a freeze on security coordination would remain in place, and they vowed to step up activity against Israel in the United Nations and international bodies.
They also planned to minimize contact with the US.
Israeli PM calls Jenin a ‘safe haven for terrorism’
08:29 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Jenin has turned into a “safe haven for terrorism” and “we are putting an end to this”.
He said the troops were destroying militant command centers and confiscating weapons supplies and factories. He claimed the operation was taking place with “minimum harm to civilians.”
“Our forces eliminate terrorists in the heart of Jenin as part of an extensive IDF operation against terrorism. All the citizens of Israel stand behind them,” he tweeted.
People flee Jenin refugee camp
08:23 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Thousands flee Jenin refugee camp to escape Israeli operation
08:02 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Thousands of Palestinians are fleeing from the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank following the Israeli army’s large-scale military operation against militants in the region.
The Israeli army said it was allowing people who wanted to leave to do so. The Palestinian Red Crescent rescue service said as many as 3,000 people had left by midnight, and they expected the exodus to continue.
Israeli forces have detained dozens of people “inside narrow rooms in their homes, without providing or allowing any food or drink”, the organisation said.
Ahmed Jibril of the Red Crescent added that their work has been hampered because of the “great damage to roads and infrastructure inside the camp”.
Juliette Touma, a spokesperson for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, told AFP that residents of the camp were leaving and others were in need food, drinking water and milk powder.
The Israeli military said it was striking “terrorist infrastructure targets and armed gunmen in the Jenin camp” and shared a document claiming Jenin was a “stronghold of terrorist activity”, where 50 per cent of the population are affiliated with militant groups.
At least 10 dead as Israel launches one of its biggest military operations
07:51 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
At least 10 Palestinians have been killed in raids by Israeli forces on the Palestinian city of Jenin, one of the largest incursions into the occupied West Bank in 20 years.
More than 100 people were injured in the attack that included airstrikes, with the death toll likely to rise, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
Israel targeted what it described as a “unified command centre” for militants of the Jenin Brigades in the densely populated refugee camp in the city.
Israel says its forces found explosives during a search of a mosque. In a statement, the Israeli Defence Forces said soldiers found “explosive devices, weapons and military equipment” it claims were affiliated with terrorist organisations in the area.
More from The Independent here.
Eight dead as Israel launches airstrikes on occupied West Bank
07:37 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live blog on the ongoing Israeli operation in the Jenin refugee camp.
