An Israeli soldier fatally shot an assailant who had stabbed him and another serviceman in a mall on Wednesday. The attacker later succumbed to his injuries, marking the latest incident tied to heightened tensions stemming from the Gaza conflict, according to media reports.
According to a police spokesman speaking to AFP, an Arab Israeli stabbed two soldiers at a mall in the northern town of Karmiel. Police stated it was a “suspected terror attack”, the latest in a series since the war on Hamas started on October 7.
A widely circulated video on social media depicted the attacker pursuing the young soldiers, stabbing them multiple times before one of them regained control and fired shots from a rifle.
The spokesman confirmed that one of the soldiers fatally shot the assailant, but did not specify if it was Sergeant Aleksandr Iakiminskyi, who was declared dead upon arrival at the hospital.
According to reports from Ynet and other media outlets, it was 19-year-old Iakiminskyi who fired back before succumbing to his injuries.
The second soldier, whose identity has not been disclosed, remains hospitalized in serious condition.
Police Northern District commander Shuki Tahauka informed the press that the attacker was “neutralized” at the mall, and security measures in the region had been heightened in response to the incident.
The alleged attacker hailed from the village of Nahf, located near Karmiel.
The Hamas militant group, engaged in conflict with Israel in Gaza, praised the assailant as a “hero” and justified his actions as a “natural response” to the hardships faced by Palestinians in their territories.
The stabbing occurred during heightened tensions within Israel’s Palestinian community amidst ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. At least 16 people have been killed in attacks across Israel since October 7.