Six people were murdered and at least 17 wounded, including a child, in a shooting terror attack in Jaffa, in central Israel, on Tuesday evening, Magen David Adom reported.
Six people were taken to the Ichilov Medical Center for treatment. At least two were in critical condition with wounds to their heads, and four others were moderately to seriously wounded. Twelve injured people, including a child, were transferred to the Wolfson Medical Center; five were in serious condition, and two were then transferred to Ichilov.
The shooting occurred near a light rail station in the central Israeli city. Two terrorists, Muhammad Chalaf Sahar Rajab and Hassan Muhammad Hassan Tamimi, both from Hebron, were observed exiting the train and were shot dead by “Sela” municipality inspectors and citizens present using personal firearms, according to the police.
Immediately following the attack, a large barrage of missiles was fired by Iran toward central Israel, focusing on the Tel Aviv district.
Security forces reacted initially, believing that the incident was a criminal incident because there is a criminal shooting in the area almost every day due to a well-known criminal living nearby whose house is the regular target of shootings, according to Maariv.
Once they heard that the shooting was ongoing and shouts of "Allah Akbar," they arrived on the scene ready for a terror incident.
Videos from the scenes show several bodies lying on the ground.
Terror and chaos in Tel Aviv's light rail
Hanan Peretz, head of the Sela Unit, praised his team's swift response. "They identified the gunman, took cover without hesitation, and fired at him," he recounted. "It seems the terrorist's weapon malfunctioned during the shooting."
Eyewitnesses described the terror and chaos. "We were on the light rail when we suddenly heard gunfire from outside," one witness said. "At first, we thought it was fireworks, but then we realized it was something much worse. There were many gunshots. We dropped to the floor, and people were crying. I saw someone bleeding on the ground." A nearby shop owner added, "I saw crowds of people running and shouting 'terror attack.' I quickly closed my shutters and locked up."
The police and security services are continuing their investigation into the attack, which took place near the light rail's Erlich Station.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai arrived at the scene, along with Tel Aviv District Commander Haim Sargrof. "This is a difficult incident," Sargrof said. "At around 7 p.m., we received a report that two terrorists had boarded the light rail and opened fire. They injured four people, then exited the train and continued shooting at civilians on the street. A light rail security guard, two officers from the municipal Sela Unit, and police officers shot at the terrorists and neutralized both of them. We know their origin and are conducting further checks with the Shin Bet. They are not Israeli citizens," he stated.
This is a developing story. Uri Sela contributed to this report.