Gunman kills 5 in Tel Aviv suburb

A gunman shot and killed at least five people on Tuesday in a suburb outside the Israeli city of Tel Aviv before he was fatally shot by police.

The suspect was a Palestinian man, 26-year-old Diaa Hamarsheh from Ya’abad in the West Bank, The Times of Israel reported. Police have arrested an additional suspect in connection with the attack.

The Magen David Adom ambulance service told Reuters a man in black clothing marched down a street in Bnei Brak, a city east of Tel Aviv, and opened fire with an assault rifle at apartment balconies and at pedestrians and people in a car.

Menachem Englander, an EMT with Magen David Adom, said he was “at home when I heard gunshots.”

“I immediately went out to the street and saw a terrorist pointing a weapon at me. By a miracle his weapon jammed and he couldn’t shoot,” Englander said, according to the ambulance service. “I immediately locked my door and reported the emergency. Once the police arrived to the scene, I went back downstairs.”

“Unfortunately, three men in their thirties were unresponsive and suffering from gunshot wounds. After medical checks, we were forced to pronounce them deceased,” Englander continued.

The mass shooting follows the Sunday killing of two Israeli police officers during an attack in Hadera, a city about 30 miles outside of Tel Aviv. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the shooting.

In another recent incident, an Arab man wielding a knife fatally stabbed four people in Beersheba, a city in southern Israel, last week before he was shot dead by armed residents, The Associated Press reported.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Tuesday said Israel is “facing a wave of murderous Arab terrorism.”

“My heart goes out to the families who lost their loved ones tonight, and I pray for the well-being of the wounded,” Bennett tweeted. “We will fight terror with perseverance, stubbornness and an iron fist.”

Following the Tuesday attack, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said security forces will use “all means” to restore peace in the country, The Times of Israel reported.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Thomas Nides said his “heart goes out to the families of the victims.”

“No one should have to endure such heartbreak,” Nides tweeted.

This story was updated at 8:24 a.m. to remove a reference to Tel Aviv as Israel’s capital. Jerusalem is recognized as the capital city of Israel by that country’s government. The Trump administration formally recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in 2017.