Israel: Hamas Terrorist Wounds Three in Tel Aviv Shooting, Palestinians Distribute Sweets in Celebration

Israel: Hamas Terrorist Wounds Three in Tel Aviv Shooting, Palestinians Distribute Sweets in Celebration

Three Israeli civilians were shot and wounded when a Palestinian terrorist opened fire on a crowded street in central Tel Aviv.

Israeli media reported that one of the victims is in critical condition, and another is reported to have suffered a serious injury.

An armed off-duty police officer eliminated the terrorist, thus preventing further bloodshed. The slain terrorist was identified as an illegal intruder from West Bank with ties to the Islamic terrorist group Hamas.

CCTV footage of the horrific terror attack in Tel Aviv — just a few blocks from where I was.

No one should have to live under terror like this. pic.twitter.com/4LTY6vGMcf

— Brooke Goldstein (@GoldsteinBrooke) March 10, 2023

The Times of Israel reported:

Three people were shot and wounded in a terrorist shooting near a cafe in central Tel Aviv on Thursday night, police and medics said.

Police said the Palestinian attacker opened fire at people outside the cafe on the corner of Dizengoff Street and Ben Gurion Street, an area typically bustling on Thursday night. He then fled the scene while shooting at other people in the area, before being shot dead in a shootout with police officers a short time later.

One victim was listed in critical but stable condition after undergoing surgery and was still fighting for his life, said doctors at Ichilov Medical Center, where the injured were taken. The other two were listed in serious and moderate condition, the Magen David Adom ambulance service said.

The hospital said the critically wounded victim was stabilized and was to undergo surgery along with the other man who was seriously hurt.

This is Rotem Mansano and Or Ashkar, two of the young Israelis shot in the Palestinian terror attack in #TelAviv last night, who are now fighting for their lives! This Shabbat, please pray for their recovery, and for all the victims. 🙏 🇮🇱 pic.twitter.com/T22RxJysAO

— Arsen Ostrovsky (@Ostrov_A) March 10, 2023

Hamas claims responsibility, West Bank Palestinians distribute sweets

The gunman was identified as 23-year-old Mutaz al-Khuwaja, a twice-convicted terrorist and resident of the West Bank, who entered Israel illegally.

A video circulating on Twitter showed the family of the slain terrorist celebrating the news of his jihadist exploits with joyful hugs and loud chants of “Allahu Akbar.”

Gaza-based Islamic terrorist group Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack.

This is apparently the family of the terrorist in Qalandia after being informed he was responsible for the murderous shooting attack in Tel Aviv. Again, we are dealing with an unimaginably sick society that celebrates murder #terrorism #israel pic.twitter.com/8J9Z0GdjBn

— (((David Lange))) 🇮🇱🇦🇺 (@Israellycool) March 9, 2023

The Israeli TV channel i24news reported the jihadist background of the terrorist:

Israeli authorities confirmed late on Thursday that the Palestinian terrorist who perpetrated the shooting in central Tel Aviv was 23-year-old Mutaz al-Khuwaja. He was killed at the scene by an off-duty officer as he charged at police.

He was a resident of the West Bank town of Ni’lin. His father Sheikh Salah al-Khawaja, a senior Hamas operative, said that he “was not informed of the plan by any official authority” but “heard on the news and saw pictures of my son.” He and another one of his sons were arrested by Israeli security forces overnight.

Mutaz al-Khuwaja was jailed in Israel twice on terrorism-related offenses and entered illegally from the West Bank on Thursday.

Hamas, a terrorist group based in the Gaza Strip, claimed that al-Khawaja was a member of its military wing. “We mourn the martyr Mutaz al-Khawaja, and we extoll his heroic operation, and we threaten the criminal occupation with more attacks,” the statement read.

Other videos posted on Twitter show Palestinians in the West Bank town of Jenin — a known Islamic Jihad (PIJ) stronghold — gathering together in spontaneous processions amid loud chants of “Allahu Akbar.” The Jenin residents were seen handing out sweets on the streets and motorists honking their horns in a hideous display.

Palestinians in Jenin streets now celebrating the shooting attack on innocent civilians in Tel Aviv. SICK society, sick culture. pic.twitter.com/rnAw7BrPOz

— Emily Schrader – אמילי שריידר امیلی شریدر (@emilykschrader) March 9, 2023

Sweets handed out in Jenin following a terror attack in Tel Aviv. pic.twitter.com/7m48QNVfIf

— Joe Truzman (@JoeTruzman) March 9, 2023

Much like the previous years, Israel is witnessing a terrorist wave in the run-up to the Muslim fasting month.

This Ramadan, Israeli defense analysts believe that Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) plan to drag the IDF and security forces into a protracted conflict and trigger a third intifada, a reference to the two previous waves of Palestinian rioting and terror between 1987–1993 and 1999–2004.

“The terrorist organizations plan to step up attacks toward the month of Ramadan (March 22-April 20, 2023) as a catalyst for a third intifada,” Israel’s leading Middle East expert, Yoni Ben-Menachem, noted in a recent article.

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