Gunman kills at least 5 in shooting spree near Tel Aviv

At least five people were killed Tuesday night in Bnei Brak, a suburb of Tel Aviv, after a gunman on a motorcycle opened fire in two locations in the city.

The shooter was killed by law enforcement, officials said. Israeli media is reporting that the gunman was a 27-year-old Palestinian from the West Bank, and one of the victims was a police officer who engaged the shooter. Bnei Brak is home to many ultra-Orthodox Jews.

This is the third attack to occur in Israel in recent days — on Sunday, gunmen shot and killed two young police officers in Hadera, and last week, a lone individual killed four people in a car ramming and stabbing attack in Beersheba. Those assailants were Arab citizens of Israel inspired by the Islamic State, The Associated Press reports, and authorities do not yet know if the three incidents were part of a coordinated effort.

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Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said his country "stands before a wave of murderous Arab terrorism," and he will fight it "with perseverance, stubbornness, and an iron fist." Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gatz tweeted that security forces "will work with all means to return security to Israeli streets and the feeling of security to citizens."

No one has claimed responsibility for Tuesday's attack, which was condemned by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. When Israeli and Palestinian civilians are killed, it "only leads to further deterioration of the situation and instability, which we all strive to achieve, especially as we are approaching the holy month of Ramadan and Christian and Jewish holidays," Abbas said. Violence, he added, "confirms that permanent, comprehensive, and just peace is the shortest way to provide security and stability for the Palestinian and Israeli peoples."