A Bedouin kills four people in southern Israel. The attacker is shot dead. He is known to the police as an IS supporter and has previously served time in prison.
A sympathizer of the terrorist group "Islamic State" (IS) murdered four Israelis in the desert capital of Beersheba on Tuesday. He ran over one and stabbed the other three. Two women were also injured in the attack. The attacker was shot dead.
The attacker is Mohammad Ghaleb Abu al-Qian. The 34-year-old comes from the Bedouin village of Hura in the Negev Desert. He originally worked as a primary school teacher. From 2015 to 2019, he was imprisoned for attempting to join ISIS fighters in Syria. He tried to recruit followers and confessed to forming a secret group. According to his own statement, he wanted to feign a pilgrimage to Mecca to gain access to Syria.
Following the attack, the television station "Channel 12" broadcast a quote from the prosecution during the trial: "Criminals like the accused are a ticking time bomb. It is impossible to know when the countdown will begin." After his release from prison, Abu al-Qian worked in a bakery owned by relatives.
He was at work on Tuesday as well, before traveling to Be'er Sheva. His acquaintances say they noticed nothing unusual. They were surprised to learn that he had been planning an attack.
Soup kitchen operator among victims
In Be'er Sheva, he first hit a cyclist: Rabbi Moshe Kravitzki. The married father of four children between the ages of ten and 22 belonged to the Orthodox Chabad movement. For ten years, he ran a synagogue and a soup kitchen in the desert capital, according to the newspaper "Yediot Aharonot." Every day, many elderly and needy people received a meal there.
Before working in Israel, Kravitzki had been Chabad's envoy in Moldova. There he also attended a Talmudic school.
The attacker's second victim was Laura Jitzchak. The 43-year-old was on her way to meet her husband, Tal, at a gas station. Abu al-Qian attacked her from behind and stabbed her multiple times. She fought for her life, but in vain. Besides her husband, she leaves behind three daughters between the ages of six and 14.
Husband and nephew of a deceased victim at the scene of the crime for professional reasons
Doris Jachbas was murdered in a clothing store. The 49-year-old mother of three lived in an agricultural community settlement, Moshav Gilit, near Ofakim. Her husband works for the prison service. A passerby called him and told him about the attack. When he arrived at the scene, he saw that his wife was one of the victims.
Paramedic Israel Osen was also called to the scene for professional reasons. He treated a seriously injured woman and suffered shock: "During the treatment, I realized it was my aunt, my mother's sister," he told the newspaper. "She showed no signs of life. We could only pronounce her dead. I was horrified, but I had to continue with my duties and take care of my uncle."
The fourth victim, Menachem Yezhskel Menuhin, was killed by the Bedouin in a square in front of a shopping center. He stabbed the 67-year-old dozens of times. Finally, two civilians shot him dead. Eight minutes passed between the cyclist being rammed and the fatal shots being fired at the attacker.
Hospital instead of birthday party
Two women suffered moderate injuries in the attack. Doctors at Soroka Hospital reported their condition as stable on Wednesday. Medical staff also treated several witnesses to the attack who were suffering from shock.
One of the injured women had gone to the shopping center to buy clothes for her 43rd birthday. After the attack, she fled to her husband's car. Her children had organized a surprise party for her. But instead of celebrating, she was taken to the hospital.
Police stated they had received no warning from security services about a planned attack. They arrested two brothers of the attacker, who reportedly saw him leave the house with the knife. Police believe the perpetrator acted alone.
Terrorist groups praise attacker, clan condemns attack
No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. The Palestinian terrorist groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad praised the attacker but did not identify him as a member.
Official representatives of the Palestinian Authority (PA) expressed their regret to the Israeli side regarding the attack, according to the broadcaster "Kan".
A strong condemnation came from the Abu al-Qian clan, to which the perpetrator belonged. His hometown of Hura also issued a statement to that effect.
The attack in Be'er Sheva was the deadliest attack on Israeli civilians since June 2016, when two terrorists opened fire in the Sarona market in Tel Aviv, killing four people.
