Manhunt as three killed in stabbing rampage

ISRAELI security forces were last night hunting for two Palestinians suspected of carrying out a stabbing rampage near Tel Aviv that left three Israelis dead and another four injured.

The stabbing in the town of Elad on Thursday, Israel’s Independence Day, was the latest in a series of deadly assaults deep inside the country in recent weeks.

It came as Israelipalestinian tensions were already heightened by violence at a major holy site in Jerusalem sacred to Jews and Muslims.

Police said they were searching for two suspects, aged 19 and 20, from the town of Jenin in the occupied West Bank, which has re-emerged as a militant bastion in the latest wave of violence.

“We will get our hands on the terrorists and their supportive environment, and they will pay the price,” Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said after meeting senior security officials.

Authorities said the attackers fled in a vehicle.

Medics described a horrific scene in Elad. In addition to the three people killed, four others were wounded, one critically.

Israel marked its Independence Day on Thursday, a festive national holiday in which people typically hold barbecues and attend air shows.

Defence Minister Benny Gantz extended a closure on the West Bank, imposed ahead of the holiday to prevent Palestinians from entering Israel, to remain in effect until tomorrow.