Terror attack in Tel Aviv - one dead, seven injured in car ramming and shooting incident

A car-ramming terrorist attack on Friday night in Tel Aviv targeted a group of Italian and British tourists near the beach promenade. One person was killed and seven others injured.

The victim has been identified by Italy’s Foreign Ministry as Alessandro Parini (36), a lawyer from Rome, who was visiting Israel on vacation. Eyewitnesses quoted by Ynet news said that he was struck by the terrorist’s car and began bleeding from his head.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed "deep sorrow" over Parini's death and sent her condolences to his family and the wounded. She wrote on Twitter her government stands in solidarity with Israel following the "cowardly attack," and added that the Italian government is following up with Israeli authorities for updates.

The attack occurred at about 10 p.m., when the terrorist was driving along the Tel Aviv boardwalk and started shooting at people. He attempted to run over pedestrians before his car flipped over. An Israeli police officer approached the vehicle and neutralized the terrorist as he was trying to reach for his weapon, according to reports.

The terrorist has been identified by the Israel Police as Yousef Abu Jaber (45), an Arab-Israeli resident from the Arab city Kfar Qasem. He had no prior security offenses.

According to Magen David Adom emergency medical services, three tourists were moderately injured – one girl (17) and two men (74 and 39). Four others were lightly injured – two men (50 and 31) and two women (70 and 27). They were evacuated to hospitals in Tel Aviv and Holon for treatment.

The attack came after two British-Israeli sisters from the West Bank settlement of Efrat were murdered and their mother injured in a drive-by shooting earlier on Friday. 

In light of the terror attacks and the recent barrage of rockets from both Gaza and Lebanon during the Passover holiday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called to mobilize additional Israel Defense Forces soldiers and Border Police units.

“We are all, without exception, united on this,” Netanyahu said during a Cabinet meeting on Thursday. He stressed that Israel “will hit back at our enemies, and they will pay the price for every act of aggression."

The U.S. State Department issued the following statement: "The United States strongly condemns today’s terrorist attacks in the West Bank and Tel Aviv. We extend our deepest condolences to the victims’ families and loved ones, and wish a full recovery to the injured. The three horrific attacks today, in which three were killed and at least eight others wounded, affected citizens of Israel, Italy and the United Kingdom.  The targeting of innocent civilians of any nationality is unconscionable."