Tragic Ramming and Stabbing Attack Claims Two Lives in Israel

Sat Dec 27 2025 19:48:33 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

A suspected Palestinian perpetrator carried out a deadly 'rolling terror attack' in northern Israel, leading to the deaths of two individuals and raising tensions in the region.

In a shocking incident reported in northern Israel, a suspected Palestinian vehicle and knife attack resulted in two deaths and several injuries. The attack began with a pedestrian being run over in Beit Shean, followed by a stabbing near Ein Harod. The assailant was ultimately neutralized by a civilian. Israeli officials are now escalating military operations in response to the incident, marking an increase in tensions following recent violence in the region.

Two people have been killed in what police say was a rolling terror attack in northern Israel.

Police reported that the attacker first ran over a pedestrian in the eastern city of Beit Shean before continuing to drive and subsequently stabbing a woman near Ein Harod, approximately 12.5 km to the west. The perpetrator was finally shot and wounded by a civilian outside the city of Afula.

Officials identified the deceased as 68-year-old Shimshon Mordechai, while a 16-year-old boy sustained injuries from the initial ramming. The stabbing victim, Aviv Maor, is 18 years old.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that the suspect is from the village of Qabatiya in the northern occupied West Bank. Following the attack, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced preparations for an operation in the Qabatiya area, and Israeli authorities indicated that the assailant had infiltrated into Israeli territory days prior to the attack.

Reports indicate that the suspect, a 37-year-old man, had been working illegally in Israel and used his employer's vehicle for the attack. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his deepest condolences to the victims' families and lauded the heroic citizen who neutralized the threat.

This incident follows a controversial engagement where an Israeli reservist was seen on video ramming a Palestinian man who was praying on a roadside in the West Bank, leading to his dismissal and confiscation of his weapon.

The recent surge in violence has raised concerns, with attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians reportedly escalating dramatically in the past few years. According to the United Nations, more than a thousand Palestinians have been killed since the onset of violent escalations following attacks by Hamas on Israel in October 2023. Meanwhile, over 70,600 people in Gaza have reportedly died due to Israeli attacks since the conflict's resurgence.