Gunman killed, Israeli officer wounded
JERUSALEM — A Palestinian gunman Saturday opened fire in central Tel Aviv, critically wounding an Israeli police inspector before he was shot and killed by police, authorities said.
The attack came a day after a settler rampage in the occupied West Bank killed one Palestinian, deepening the spiral of violence that has gripped the region for the past year and a half.
Police identified the gunman as Kamel Abu Bakr, from a village near the flashpoint city of Jenin in the northern West Bank.
lsraeli police said municipal inspectors noticed Bakr, and, believing he was acting suspiciously, approached him. They said Bakr then opened fire, wounding a 40-year-old inspector. An inspector then shot the attacker. Bakr later died at Ichilov Hospital, according to hospital officials.
The Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad both issued statements praising the attack.
The shooting came one day after a settler rampage in a village in the northern West Bank. Late Friday, armed settlers entered Burqa, a herding village east of the city of Ramallah, shooting and killing 19-year-old Qusai Matan, Palestinian health officials said.
Israeli police said Saturday they had arrested two Israeli settlers in connection with the attack.
Israeli media reported that one of the arrested settlers used to work as an aide, who remained unnamed, for a lawmaker of the far-right Israeli “Jewish Power” party which is in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition of ultranationalist and ultraorthodox parties in the Israeli parliament. It includes Itamar Ben-Gvir, a pro-settlement firebrand known for hardline positions against Palestinians who is now the country’s national security minister, overseeing the national police force. The party couldn’t be reached for comment.
Police said they arrested two settlers after detaining five for questioning. The other settler who was arrested was hospitalized after suffering injuries Friday night. Authorities did not elaborate on the charges.
Palestinian officials said the settlers also burned two cars in the village. They also called for the perpetrators to be punished.