Israeli attacks on the West Bank city of Jenin have so far killed 12 Palestinians, the Palestinian Health Ministry said late Tuesday.
Nearly 120 others, with 20 of them in serious condition, were injured in the attacks, the ministry said in a written statement.
Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir urged Israelis to carry guns, after an armed civilian shot and killed the Palestinian assailant, who injured seven people in a stabbing and ramming spree, the Times of Israel newspaper reported.
“This again proved the importance and effectiveness of citizens carrying guns,” Ben Gvir told reporters. “I call on the public who meet the criteria: carry guns.”
Seven Israelis were injured in a suspected car-ramming attack in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, according to the Israeli police.
Police said it received a report about “a car that struck a number of citizens” at Pinkhas Rosen Street in Tel Aviv. It said seven people were wounded in the attack.
Police said the assailant was shot dead by an armed Israeli, according to The Times of Israel newspaper.
Palestinian group Hamas, for its part, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was a “first response” to an ongoing Israeli military operation in the West Bank city of Jenin.
Tensions have been running high across the occupied West Bank in recent months amid repeated Israeli raids into Palestinian towns.
The Israeli forces on Monday launched its largest military operation in Jenin in more than 20 years.
Nearly 190 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since the start of this year, according to the Health Ministry. At least 25 Israelis have also been killed in separate attacks during the same period.