Israeli security forces are conducting a manhunt on Friday for the two terrorists, residents of the village of Romana in the Jenin district, Assad Yussef Assad Al-Rafa’i, 19, and Tzabhi Imad Tzabhi Abu Shakir, 20. The two, who did not have a security background, fled the scene after the attack.
The police have requested that “Any suspicion or information regarding their whereabouts should be reported to the 100 police hotline.” it said, while the manhunt continues.
Documentation from the attack in Elad: the terrorists running in the street with an ax:
תיעוד מהפיגוע באלעד: המחבלים רצים ברחוב עם גרזן@hadasgrinberg pic.twitter.com/Wp5txLslNL
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) May 5, 2022
A security source estimated that there was no connection between the attack in Elad and the call of Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar on Israeli and PA Arabs a week ago to carry out attacks with firearms or axes. In keeping with his fervent call, the two murderers brought with them an ax and a knife.
“There were four attacks before Yahya Sinwar’s call to arms, and this is the fifth attack, so it’s not certain that there’s a connection. Sinwar’s incitement was and still is constant,” the security source told Kan 11.
Last week, Sinwar called on all the Arabs: “Our people in the Negev, the Triangle, the Galilee, Haifa, Jaffa, Acre, Jaffa, and Lod – everyone will furnish their own rifle. And those who do not have a rifle will furnish a knife or an ax,” and added, “If they (Israel) want a religious war, they have broken the red lines.”
Let’s hope the security forces are hard at work preparing Sinwar’s assassination.
The three Israelis murdered in Elad Thursday night are Yonatan Havakuk, 44, Oren Ben Yiftach, 35, and Boaz Gol, 49. Havakuk, a resident of Elad, left behind five children. Gol, also a resident of Elad, left five children. Ben Yiftach, a resident of Lod, left six children.
Elad, a city in the Center District of Israel, population 50,000, was built in the 1990s for a mostly Haredi population. Located 16 miles east of Tel Aviv on Route 444, between Rosh Ha’Ayin and Shoham. Elad is the only municipality in Israel that’s officially designated as an exclusively religious community.
Public Security Minister Omer Barlev (Labor) who visited the city Thursday night was heckled by Elad residents who cried: “Omer, go home.”
השר בר לב מתקבל בביקורת חריפה של תושבים pic.twitter.com/9ayFeb99TG
— רן שמעוני Ran Shimoni (@ran_shimoni) May 5, 2022
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett held a security consultation Thursday night with the defense minister, foreign minister, public security minister, police commissioner, Shin Bet Director, Mossad director, and other senior officials. Bennett later announced: “Our enemies have embarked on a murderous campaign against Jews wherever they are. Their goal is to break our spirit but they will fail. We will get our hands on the terrorists and those who aid and abet them and ensure they pay the price. I offer my deepest condolences to the families of those who were murdered.”
According to preliminary investigation details, the terrorists, who probably knew Elad and the area they chose, first attacked a man in his car on Ibn Gvirol Street in the city, in front of the Ayalim school. They continued to attack drivers and then reached the Amphi Park area, where they attacked more civilians. The terrorists continued their killing spree along a path that leads to the local amusement park, playgrounds, and basketball courts, where dozens of children and their parents were playing. At the entrance to the amusement park, they encountered a security guard and seriously injured him. From there, the terrorists fled to a nearby forest, and on the way attacked another driver in a parking lot and lightly injured him. From there they took off and disappeared.
All we can say in response is: kill Yahya Sinwar.
