A man believed to be a terrorist has stabbed four people to death at a shopping centre in Israel.
The victims were three women and one man in the southern city of Beersheba.
Two other people were also injured in the incident, one of them critically.
The knifeman was later shot by a passerby and he died shortly after.
Police are treating the incident as a suspected terror attack.
According to The Times of Israel, the attacker was identified as 34-year-old Mohammad Ghaleb Abu al-Qi’an, a former terror convict who served three years in prison for belonging to ISIS and trying to recruit people to it.
A police spokesperson said: “It appeared to be a single terrorist who went on a stabbing spree”, before adding: “A civilian took the initiative and shot and killed him.”
Defense Minister Benny Gantz said he sends his condolences to the victims’ families.
Gantz added: “The IDF and security forces will use all means to prevent terrorist incidents, as much as possible. We are on high alert against all threats in all areas.
“We will make sure that anyone who encourages or supports the latest attacks, will pay a price.”
The Hamas terror group praised the stabbing attack, saying it “salutes the executor of the heroic operation in occupied Beersheba,” but did not claim the suspect as a member.
Hamas spokesperson Abd al-Latif al-Qanou told the official Hamas radio: “The occupation’s crimes shall be met with heroic operations: stabbings, rammings and shootings.”
