Israeli who killed Tel Aviv terrorist: 'Attacker was a monster, giant'

Kobi Yekutiel was at the scene of the Tel Aviv terrorist attack, which saw nine people wounded. He recounted how he managed to shoot and kill the terrorist, and what he felt at the time.

 Scene of the violent incident in Tel Aviv on July 4, 2023. (photo credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/MAARIV)
Scene of the violent incident in Tel Aviv on July 4, 2023.
(photo credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/MAARIV)

"I saw a driver get out of his car and stab the first person he came across," recounted Kobi Yekutiel, the Israeli civilian who killed the terrorist who carried out a ramming and stabbing attack in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, in an interview Wednesday morning with 103FM.

A Palestinian resident of Hebron had run over several people in Tel Aviv before getting out of the car and stabbing someone in the neck. Yekutiel, who was at the scene on his motorcycle and armed, shot and killed the terrorist.

Ultimately, nine people were wounded in the attack.

Yekutiel explained that he had thought at first that it was a fight between drivers following a car accident.

"I was afraid to pull out a gun without knowing what the situation was about, but then he stabbed someone and started running towards others," he said. "That's when I realized that this was a terrorist attack.

 Police and rescue forces at the scene of a car ramming terror attack in north Tel Aviv on June 4, 2023. (credit: MIRIAM ALSTER/FLASH90)
Police and rescue forces at the scene of a car ramming terror attack in north Tel Aviv on June 4, 2023. (credit: MIRIAM ALSTER/FLASH90)

"I took out my gun, everyone was running in my direction away from the attacker. I was seven meters away, maybe even less. He saw me with the gun and kept running towards me and another man next to me. I put a bullet or two in his upper body, but he kept trying to run and fell on the ground with the other man. But he still held up the knife and tried to put it into the man's head.

"I didn't think twice. I got close so I wouldn't hurt the other man, and I shot two bullets into the terrorist's head."

The Tel Aviv terrorist: A monster, a giant, a thug

Yekutiel was asked whether he was afraid of being stabbed by the terrorist, to which he said yes.

"Now that you say it, and I think it over again, I tremble in fear," he said, describing the terrorist as "a man, a monster, a giant, and a thug."

"When he ran towards me, my legs were shaking. I said 'God, please let the bullet come out,' because if it didn't I was dead."


Stay updated with the latest news!

Subscribe to The Jerusalem Post Newsletter


He continued: "I'm just an ordinary civilian. But I was in Golani. Even when I walk on the street now, I have these constant moments of being careful and looking at anything suspicious.

"I went in there scared, but when the first bullet came out, I became a completely different person."

Despite this, Yekutiel admitted to not being exceptionally skilled with firearms.

"I'm nothing special," he told 103FM. "I'm not some great genius with guns."

However, he added that "If he wouldn't have been shot by me or someone else, the situation would have completely changed."