Tel Aviv terrorist's family praises attack: 'Victory will come soon'

"You will see the victory soon… God, liberate the Al-Aqsa Mosque from the occupiers,” the terrorist's father was filmed saying outside his house.

 The father of Raad Hazem, 28, a Palestinian gunman who had killed two people and wounded several others in Tel Aviv the previous night, hugs a friend at this home on April 8, 2022 in the West Bank city of Jenin.  (photo credit: JAAFAR ASHTIYEH/AFP via Getty Images)
The father of Raad Hazem, 28, a Palestinian gunman who had killed two people and wounded several others in Tel Aviv the previous night, hugs a friend at this home on April 8, 2022 in the West Bank city of Jenin.
(photo credit: JAAFAR ASHTIYEH/AFP via Getty Images)

Shouts of joy were heard around the Jenin home of the Dizengoff Street terrorist on Friday morning as people celebrated joining the terrorist organizations and supporters on the streets of Palestinian towns and on social media. 

"You will see the victory soon… God, liberate the al-Aqsa Mosque from the occupiers,” the terrorist's father - a former Palestinian Authority security officer - was filmed saying outside his house. The terrorist's uncle also praised his nephew on Facebook, saying that he had joined family members who had been killed in clashes with security forces.

 A Palestinian man displays a picture of his nephew Raad Hazem, 28, a Palestinian gunman who had killed two people and wounded several others in Tel Aviv the previous night, on April 8, 2022 in the West Bank city of Jenin.  (credit: JAAFAR ASHTIYEH/AFP via Getty Images)
A Palestinian man displays a picture of his nephew Raad Hazem, 28, a Palestinian gunman who had killed two people and wounded several others in Tel Aviv the previous night, on April 8, 2022 in the West Bank city of Jenin. (credit: JAAFAR ASHTIYEH/AFP via Getty Images)

Ismail Haniyeh, chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau, called the terrorist's father in order to praise his son.

Hamas called the attack a "natural and legitimate response to the escalation of the occupation's crimes against our people, our land, Jerusalem and al-Aqsa Mosque."

The terrorist movement added that it would "not allow" the "continuation of the occupation’s terrorism and crimes, and its attempts to Judaize Jerusalem, and to make sacrifices in the courtyards of al-Aqsa Mosque to build their alleged temple, on the so-called Passover holiday."

Photo of 28 year-old Ra’ad Fathi Hazem from Jenin before he carried out the deadly April 8 Dizengoff Street terrorist attack. (credit: POLICE SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)
Photo of 28 year-old Ra’ad Fathi Hazem from Jenin before he carried out the deadly April 8 Dizengoff Street terrorist attack. (credit: POLICE SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement responded to the attack on Thursday saying, "the Tel Aviv operation is a clear message to the occupation that it must stop its incursions into al-Aqsa Mosque." The movement warned that further "incursions" into al-Aqsa would lead to "more resistance and ransom operations."

Videos  of celebrations in Ramallah, Jenin, Gaza and Lebanon circulated on social media. Supporters of the attack reportedly honked the horns of their cars and handed out sweets to passersby. 

A reporter for the pro-Hezbollah Al-Mayadeen Ali Mortada called the terrorist "a Palestinian hero" on Twitter. His colleague Fatima Ftouni shared a tweet about the attack's death toll with a heart emoji, and said that "the occupier is destined to leave or die."

The Thursday night attack killed three Israelis and injured another 11. The terrorist was killed in a shootout with security forces on Friday morning in Jaffa.


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Anna Ahronheim and Khaled Abu Toameh contributed to this report.