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Photos:
"Settler killed". Published by IMEMC News
[Israeli security guard, Gidon Peri? - PalMap]

The damaged truck in Tel Aviv at the scene of the explosion. Credit: Moti Milrod. Published by Haaretz

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by IMEMC News
Aug 19, 2024

An explosion took place in Tel Aviv on Sunday evening, killing one and wounding one. The nature of the explosion has led to suspicions that it may have been an attack, and authorities are actively investigating the situation. The explosion took place soon after the death of an Israeli security guard who was attacked with a hammer in a West Bank settlement.

The source of the explosion was identified as an explosive device attached to a vehicle. The force of the detonation was significant, causing damage and sparking fears of an intentional act of violence.

Upon receiving reports of the explosion, Israeli police units converged on the scene, located on Lahi Street, to assess the damage and assist the victims. While the identity of the deceased has not been released, the injured person, who had been riding by on a scooter, received prompt medical attention.

Investigators are currently combing through evidence to uncover the motives and identify any parties responsible for this incident.

This incident in Tel Aviv came just as US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv, and as thousands of Israelis took to the streets demanding a ceasefire deal to end the 317-day long Israeli assault on the Palestinian population of the Gaza Strip.

In a separate incident, Israeli security guard, Gidon Peri, 38 years old, who was attacked earlier on Sunday by a hammer-wielding Palestinian man in the West Bank, died Sunday evening in the Rabin Medical Center in Petah Tikva, as a result of his injuries.

Israeli Major General Avi Blot, Commander of the Central Command, conducted a nighttime situation assessment at the scene of the attack in the Kedumim settlement in the occupied West Bank.

Blot stated, “This is a very severe attack. I met with the commanders and the head of the Kedumim Council at the scene, and I want to extend my condolences to the Peri family and share in their grief. We are in pursuit of the vile terrorist, and we will hold him accountable soon. At the same time, we will conduct a thorough investigation to learn from this and prevent similar incidents in the future.”
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Hamas, Islamic Jihad Claim Responsibility for Tel Aviv Blast, Vow Additional Suicide Attacks

The explosion in Tel Aviv's Lehi St. wounded one passerby and killed the terrorist ■ Hamas and Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack ■ Tel Aviv police chief orders heightened alert level, searched for additional suspects

Josh Breiner, Ran Shimoni, Jack Khoury, Reuters for Haaretz
Aug 18, 2024 11:42 pm IDT
Updated: Aug 19, 202412:37 pm IDT

Israel Police and the Shin Bet announced on Monday that an explosive device that detonated in southeast Tel Aviv on Sunday evening was an attempted terror attack. The terrorist, who had the explosives on his body, was killed, while a bystander was wounded from the blast and taken to a hospital in moderate condition.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the blast and announced they would carry out additional suicide attacks in Israel "as long as the massacres of the occupiers and policy of targeted killings continues."

Superintendent Peretz Amar, commander of police's Tel Aviv district, instructed to raise the alert level across central Israel, in addition to the continued search for more suspects.

A police source told Haaretz that the explosive device on Lehi St. was smaller than 10 kilograms (roughly 22 lbs.), including pieces of metal and nails. Brig. Gen. Haim Bublil, commander of a local police station, told Israeli news channel 13 on Monday morning that "following a strenuous investigation with the Shin Bet [security services], we can say quite surely that this was self-detonated blast."

Bublil added that while police are still investigating the blast and the identity of the perpetrator, estimates based off of evidence found at the scene suggest the suspect isn't an Israeli citizen. Police sources add the suspect is most likely Palestinian.

Police suspect the target of the explosion was a nearby synagogue, with a senior police officer telling Haaretz that the device "was unlike anything we've seen for years in our area. This puts us in a different place, the explosion was caused due to a malfunction."

"We find dozens, if not hundreds, of [Palestinians] in Tel Aviv and we bring them back to the [West Bank], to create a sense of security," said Bublil. Since the start of the war, alerts have increased substantially, and are at the highest degree. Bublil also referred to the fact that the school year is over and children are in the midst of summer vacation: "We can say that this was a miracle. If [the explosion] had taken place somewhere else, we would be talking about a different kind of disaster."
Aug 18, 2024 11:42 pm

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