Two people have been killed by a terrorist conducting a series of attacks in multiple locations in the North.
The first victim was a 68-year-old man who was run over and killed near Beit She'an. The terrorist then fled in a vehicle, exiting it to stab an 18-year-old woman on Route 71, who was also killed.
The terrorist continued driving before being neutralized outside of Afula. He is reported to be in moderate condition.
The 68-year-old victim was Shimshon Mordechai, a resident of Beit She'an, and the 18-year-old was named Aviv Maor, Israeli media reported.
A statement by Kibbutz Ein Haroud cited Maor's parents saying Aviv "was a nature girl, loved people and animals, rode horses for many years. She took care of all the injured animals in the valley. She was a talented photographer, a caring and loving daughter to her parents, and a devoted sister."
Also wounded by the terrorist was a 16-year-old boy in Beit She'an, who was rammed by the terrorist's vehicle. He was brought to the hospital lightly wounded.
"When we arrived at the scene, we saw the boy sitting inside a car, conscious and suffering from injuries to his limbs." Daniel Mousai, a Magen David Adom EMT, said. "Citizens who were there told us that he had been hit by a fleeing vehicle, and they helped him in the first moments."
Mousai reports that just as they were loading the boy into an ambulance for him to be taken to the hospital, they received a report of an unconscious injured person on a nearby street.
"I immediately got to him and saw a 68-year-old man lying on the side of the road, suffering from a serious chest injury. Together with the intensive care unit team, we provided medical treatment and performed CPR, but his injury was fatal, and we had to pronounce him dead on the spot."
A 37-year-old man was also reported wounded outside of Afula when he was run over, before the terrorist was neutralized. He was brought to the hospital moderately wounded.
"The terrorist missed him and ran into an electric pole," a witness to the attack outside Afula described to i24news. "He got out of the vehicle, picked up a huge rock, and brought it down on his head. Immediately afterward, the police arrived and took him down."
Terrorist employed by Arab-Israeli, used employer's vehicle
Israeli media reported that the terrorist was an illegal resident named Ahmed Abu al-Rov, 34, living in Qabatiya, in the West Bank. It was also reported that a security source claimed that al-Rov was employed by an Arab-Israeli citizen, and that the vehicle he used in his terror attack belonged to his employer.
A resident of Arraba, also in Israel's north, was arrested for employing the terrorist, Israel Police said. The police added that the two were staying in Kibbutz Mesilot together.
It was later revealed that the terrorist had been arrested nearly 10 years ago due to his participation in riots against the IDF and was imprisoned for several months, Army Radio reported.
An IDF spokesperson said that al-Rov had infiltrated Israel several days before his attack.
Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered the IDF to prepare for an operation inside Qabatiya. The IDF later announced that it conducted an operational search at the terrorist's home in the West Bank city. Israel Prison Service forces and the Shin Bet also took part in the operation. Several suspects at the scene were questioned. The home is set to be demolished by Israeli forces.
The terrorist's father was also arrested by Israeli forces as part of the security operation, Maariv reported.
IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir is conducting a situational assessment on the incident alongside other commanders.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on X/Twitter that, "Although there have been many thwartings against terror in the past year, unfortunately, we experience murderous attacks from time to time."
President Isaac Herzog said that he had spoken Beit She’an Mayor Noam Juma’a and Gilboa Regional Council Head Danny Atar and requested they "convey words of strength, support, and condolences to the residents of the area from the entire people of Israel in the face of this difficult event."
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said, "It has been proven once again that weapons save lives. I call on the citizens of Israel to arm themselves. We have made concessions. We have made huge reforms on this issue. Let's arm ourselves.
"The second thing that I think will save even more lives is the death penalty law for terrorists. I really hope that no one torpedoes this proposal."
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich urged in response to the attack that "we are required to demonstrate national resolve and civic responsibility" in a post on X/Twitter, clarifying that "our hold on Judea and Samaria must be fortified" and "refraining from employing illegal residents."
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said in response that, "The Palestinian Authority is deceiving the international community while continuing to pay salaries to terrorists and their families and encouraging terror."
The US Embassy in Jerusalem condemned the attack, expressing their "deepest condolences to the families of those killed and wish the injured a speedy recovery," it said in a post on X.
The Hamas terror organization said in response to the attack that "Resistance in all its forms is a legitimate right guaranteed by international law and humanitarian principles for peoples living under occupation."
Avi Ashkenazi contributed to this report.