STORY: Hamas claims responsibility for car-ramming attack in Tel Aviv
DATELINE: July 5, 2023
LENGTH: 00:02:52
LOCATION: GAZA, Palestine
CATEGORY: POLITICS

SHOTLIST:
1. STANDUP (English): WANG ZHUOLUN, Xinhua correspondent
2. SOUNDBITE (English): DEAN ELSDUNNE, Israeli police spokesperson
3. various of the car severely damaged by the attacker
4. various of security at the scene of the attack
5. various of people voicing dissatisfaction
6. various of Israeli army launching military operation in the West Bank city of Jenin since Monday

STORYLINE:

The ruling militia of Gaza Hamas on Tuesday claimed responsibility for a car-ramming attack in Tel Aviv that left at least eight Israelis injured.

STANDUP (English): WANG ZHUOLUN, Xinhua correspondent
"Here I'm in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv, where a severe car-ramming attack just happened behind me, following a fierce military operation launched by the Israeli military since early Monday."

SOUNDBITE (English): DEAN ELSDUNNE, Israeli police spokesperson
"Behind me is the scene of a disturbing attack that took place moments ago in a populated area of Tel Aviv. He managed to injure seven individuals, pedestrians. And when he finished that attack, he got out of this vehicle and tried to commit to continue the attack by stabbing more civilians with a sharp object."

The attacker, identified as Abdulwahab Khalayleh, a 20-year-old from a small town near Hebron in the southern West Bank, rammed earlier on Tuesday his vehicle into a group of pedestrians in the city center before being shot and killed by an armed Israeli civilian.

Hamas acknowledged in a statement that Khalayleh was its member, and called him a "martyr" who carried out the attack in "heroic self-defense" against the Israeli occupation forces. The group vowed to continue and escalate its resistance against Israel.

The timing of the attack coincided with a meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and security officials to assess the ongoing military operation in the Jenin camp in the West Bank, according to Israel Radio.

The operation launched by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Monday has killed 10 Palestinians and injured 120, drawing widespread condemnation from the Palestinians and the international community.

Calling the Israeli operation "a serious violation of international law," the United Nations urged all parties to exercise restraint and work to de-escalate the situation.

Israel seized the West Bank, along with East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, in the 1967 Middle East war and has maintained control over these territories despite international criticism. The Palestinians wish to establish their future state on these territories.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Gaza, Palestine.
(XHTV)