Five Killed in Gaza as Israeli-Palestinian Violence Worsens

“He was arrested by police special forces who were in the area”, police spokeswoman Luba Samri said.

What began as Palestinians throwing rocks and firebombs at passing cars and police morphed into a deadly shooting and a rash of knife attacks where Palestinians stabbed Israeli civilians and soldiers in the streets.

Four Israelis have been killed and many wounded, while at least three Palestinians have been killed amid clashes with troops.

Tensions continued to escalate on Friday amid further violence between Israelis and Palestinians.

In the latest attack, a Jewish man in his 20s stabbed four Arab men in the southern Israeli city of Dimona, police said, adding that the motive was “nationalistic”.

In just two days, Palestinians carried out 10 stabbing attacks in Jerusalem and other cities in Israel and the disputed territories, including two at the Lion’s Gate in Jerusalem’s Old City.

On the other hand, Jerusalem Post reported that on Friday morning, a Jewish nationalists attacked four Arabs, with knifes in two separate incidents.

The demonstrators had gathered to show their support for Palestinians living under Israeli occupation in the West Bank and Jerusalem, where a wave of violence has occurred over the past several days.

Speaking on Thursday evening, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was facing a “wave of terror” that was mostly unorganized, pledging action against those inciting violence. Five Palestinians, including three of the attackers, have been killed.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on October 6 that Palestinians are seeking to avoid an escalation of violence.

The deaths in Gaza come amid renewed violence in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem on Friday. On Monday, the Israeli military demolished the homes in East Jerusalem of alleged Palestinian militants accused of attacks nearly a year ago.

September 22: A Palestinian dies during an Israeli army operation in the southern West Bank while handling a makeshift explosive device, and troops shoot and fatally wound an 18-year-old woman at a checkpoint in Hebron who allegedly tries to stab a soldier. Witnesses said they had been fired at by Israeli snipers in guardposts along the border fence, about 400 metres away from where the Palestinians were protesting.

In Jerusalem, a 25-year-old yeshiva student was seriously wounded in a stabbing near a light-rail station between the Jewish and Arab sections of the city.

The 19-year-old Palestinian, said to be from Shuafat refugee camp in annexed east Jerusalem, later assaulted a tramway guard and tried to take his gun before fleeing.

Netanyahu has insisted that Israel has no plans to change the status quo in the sacred site, which is supervised by a Jordanian-funded Islamic trust.

Abbas has praised Palestinians for defending Al Aqsa but also urged people to engage in “peaceful popular resistance”.

The move by Israeli authorities to prevent Muslim men under 50 from attending prayers at the site angered Palestinian leaders.