An Italian tourist was killed and seven other foreigners were wounded on Friday night in a car-ramming attack in central Tel Aviv.
The terrorist, identified as Arab Israeli Yousef Abu Jaber, 45, from Kafr Qasim, 12 miles east of Tel Aviv, drove his vehicle into a crowd on a busy seaside promenade in the heart of the coastal city.
The fatality was identified as 35-year-old Italian national Alessandro Parini from Rome. The other victims, who on Saturday remained in good condition, were visiting Israel from Italy and the United Kingdom, according to authorities.
“Deep sorrow and condolences following the death of Alessandro Parini in a terror attack this evening in Tel Aviv,” said Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. “Condolences to his family, to the other wounded, and solidarity with the State of Israel for the cowardly attack.”
The car-ramming came hours after two Israeli sisters were killed and their mother was critically wounded in a Palestinian shooting attack in the Jordan Valley.
According to an initial probe, terrorists opened fire on a passing vehicle, causing it to crash into the road’s shoulder. The terrorists then approached the car and riddled it with nearly two dozen bullets.
Overnight Thursday, terrorists in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip fired 44 projectiles, including rockets and anti-aircraft missiles, towards southern Israel.
In response, Israel Air Force jets hit more than 10 Hamas targets in the Palestinian enclave, including weapons manufacturing sites and attack tunnels.
The military also struck Hamas assets in southern Lebanon, after the Palestinian terrorist group fired 34 rockets from the Hezbollah-controlled country towards northern Israel earlier Thursday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered on Friday the mobilization of all Border Police reserve troops and instructed the military to call up additional reservists.