Tel Aviv Op. Shooter Martyred After Hours of Manhunt

By Staff, Agencies

The shooter of the Tel Aviv shooting operation and was later martyred in a gunfire with “Israeli” Occupation Forces [IOF] is named Raad Fathi Hazem, 28, from Jenin in the occupied West Bank.

Hazem killed two people and wounded 13 others when he opened fire in “Dizengoff Street” on Thursday. He was found and murdered several hours later early on Friday morning after a massive manhunt, around nine hours after he carried out the operation.

The “Israeli” radio said that the perpetrator of the Tel Aviv operation was killed after engaging in a clash with a force from the “Israeli” Yamam unit and a force from the Shin Bet near a mosque in Yaffa [Jaffa].

According to a security source, a Shin Bet security service force arrived in the area of the Yaffa [Jaffa] Clock Tower to gather footage from security cameras and encountered him hiding behind a car.

A Yaffa resident reported hearing several gunshots shortly after a large force surrounded the mosque in the early hours of Friday.

The shooting Thursday night took place at two locations along “Dizengoff Street”, one of Tel Aviv's busiest streets for nightlife and entertainment.

A preliminary investigation suggests that shortly before the shooting, the shooter was walking around “Dizengoff Street”, apparently looking for a crowded area.

A security source said that he was documented sitting on a bench in the area for 15 minutes before he launched the shooting operation. After escaping the scene, he hopped over a fence, and dropped a pack of bullets.

Several sources said that the shooter does not have a prior criminal record, the “Israeli” Haaretz reported. It was also reported that Hazem did not have a permit to enter the “Israeli”-occupied territories. The investigation into the operation is ongoing.

The entity’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett will hold a situation assessment with War Minister Benny Gantz and other military officials early on Friday.

Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades said Hazem was affiliated with the organization, and said "The operation in Dizengoff is a natural response to the crimes of the occupation against the Palestinian people."

The shooter’s father, Fathi Hazem, a former security prisoner in the “Israeli” entity, welcomed the operation.

In the occupied West Bank and Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, residents waved flags and celebrated the operation.