Hamas calls Tel Aviv knife attack ‘natural response’ to Israeli actions in Jenin
A child walks past a burnt vehicle in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Jenin on Jan. 17, 2025. (AFP Photo)
Hamas described a knife attack that injured four people in central Tel Aviv as a “natural response” to recent Israeli military operations in the West Bank city of Jenin and its refugee camp.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Hamas said the attack demonstrated the continued escalation of what it termed a resistance wave, which it attributed to Israeli “occupation, aggression and killings.”
“The knife attack proves that as long as Israel’s occupation and attacks persist, the wave of resistance will continue to rise,” the statement read. It characterized the incident as a direct response to a recent Israeli military operation in Jenin, which has resulted in 10 Palestinian deaths.
The group further stated that the attack carried a message that “resistance will strike with full force at the depths of the usurping entity (Israel).”
On Tuesday, Israeli forces launched a large-scale operation in the Jenin refugee camp, killing 10 Palestinians, including a child, and injuring 35 others, according to Palestinian health officials. The Israeli military described the operation as a targeted effort to disrupt militant networks in the area.
Hamas calls for ‘intensified resistance’ in West Bank after Tel Aviv knife attack
The knife attack occurred hours later in Tel Aviv, where Israel’s emergency response service, Magen David Adom, confirmed that four people were injured. Israeli media reported that the attacker was shot by a bystander.
Authorities identified the assailant as a Moroccan-born individual who had been residing in the United States before arriving in Israel on Jan. 18.
Hamas’s statement called on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank to “intensify resistance against occupation forces and settler militias” and to provide support for Jenin and other areas under Israeli attack.
Israeli officials have yet to respond to Hamas’s remarks but have stated that their operations in Jenin aim to curb growing militant activities and enhance security.
