Funerals Begin for 4 Victims of Terror Attack in Southern Israel

Funerals began on Wednesday for the four victims of a stabbing and car-ramming attack in the city of Beersheba in southern Israel. Mohammad Ghaleb Abu al-Qi’an, an Arab Israeli citizen from the Bedouin village of Hura, about 14 kilometers east of Beersheba, stabbed a woman to death at a gas station in Beersheba Tuesday. He then entered his car, which he used to ram and kill a bicyclist. He then exited his car again and stabbed several more people at a shopping center, killing a man and a woman before finally being fatally shot by two passersby. Two other women were seriously injured in the attack and remain hospitalized. Abu al-Qi’an, 34, was a former teacher who was jailed for four years after attempting to join the Islamic State group in Syria. He was released in 2019. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said following the attack that his government would “act with a strong hand against those who carry out terror,” and that “We will also pursue and apprehend those who help them.” The police arrested two brothers of the attacker, who allegedly saw Abu al-Qi’an leave with the knife he used and could be charged with knowing that he planned an attack. Arab political parties and organizations in Israel condemned the attack, with Joint List leader Ayman Odeh saying “violence is not our way and we must condemn it with all our might.” The attack was praised by Islamic Jihad, Hamas, and al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades.