After two Palestinians murdered four innocent Israelis and injured 17 in Tel Aviv Wednesday night, Israel took a number of immediate security measures including surrounding the Palestinian town of Yatta, near Hebron, from which the terrorists originated, and suspended most special entry permits for Palestinians.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that Israel’s response to the Palestinian terror attack at the Sarona market in Tel Aviv on Wednesday night, in which four Israelis were murdered and 17 were wounded, will “be decisive.”
Israel’s security forces will work with determination to track down anyone who may have aided the terrorists and prevent further pending attacks, he said.
Netanyahu made the statement while visiting the scene of the attack, accompanied by Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman and Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan. The ministers were briefed by Tel Aviv District Police Commander Moshe Edri.
Netanyahu also met the security guard who shot one of the terrorists, heard him recount his actions, and then later publicly applauded him, saying he probably saved many lives.
“This was a difficult event, a cold-blooded murder by criminal terrorists,” Netanyahu said. “We are in the midst of a complex period and we will act forcefully and intelligently.”
Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan at the scene of the attack. (Ben Kelmer/Flash90)
The security Cabinet is set to convene on Thursday to discuss possible courses of action.
In the meantime, the IDF surrounded the Palestinian town of Yatta, near Hebron, from which the two terrorists originated, and made preparations to level their houses. Only humanitarian and medical cases will be permitted to pass through the blockade.
Israel on Thursday suspended most of the special permits for Palestinians to visit Israel during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the IDF unit responsible for implementing government policy in Judea and Samaria and vis-à-vis the Gaza Strip, said 83,000 permits for Palestinians in Judea and Samaria to visit relatives in Israel during Ramadan had been frozen.
Israel considers the Ramadan permits a goodwill gesture toward Palestinians.
The special Ramadan permits were also suspended for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, including permits to visit relatives in Israel, travel abroad and attend prayers at the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, COGAT said.
In addition, the military has frozen Israeli work permits for 204 of the terrorists’ relatives.
In Tel Aviv, extra police units have been mobilized, mainly around the city’s central bus station and train stations, said police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld.
As with previous attacks, Israelis quickly returned to routine. The outdoor cafe area where the shooting took place was open to customers on Thursday morning.
By: United with Israel Staff
(AP contributed to this report)