Alwaght- Four Israelis were killed in a knife and car-ramming attack in Beersheba, in southern Israel, on Tuesday afternoon.
The attacker rammed and killed a cyclist with his car outside a gas station, before entering the station and stabbing a woman to death, a police commander, Peretz Amar, said in a briefing near the crime scene.
The attacker returned to his car, drove to a nearby shopping center and stabbed three women, one of whom died, the commander said. The attacker then drove to a nearby roundabout, crashed into a second car, got out and stabbed to death a fourth civilian, the commander said.
The suspected attacker was identified by local media as 33-year-old Ahmed al-Qiaan, a teacher who hailed from the town of Hura in the Naqab (Negev).
The police carried out a raid in Hura later on Tuesday, shutting down roads and surrounding al-Qiaan’s residence.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s office said in a statement that security forces were “on high alert”.
Hamas praised the attack on the occupation, saying "crimes committed by the occupation” against the Palestinian people can only be met with such “heroic acts”.
Islamic Jihad spokesperson Tariq Salmi, on the other hand, said the attack was “a natural response to the crimes of the occupation in the Naqab,” adding that Israel “will realise once again that our people will not surrender”.
