A deadly series of terror attacks shook northern Israel on Friday, December 26, 2025, resulting in two fatalities and two individuals wounded. The assailant, a Palestinian man, used a combination of vehicle ramming and stabbing before being shot dead by security forces.
Chronology of a Deadly Spree
The violence began shortly before 12:31 p.m., when Magen David Adom's emergency call center received a report of an injured woman on Route 71 near Kibbutz Ein Harod in the Gilboa region. The victim, 19-year-old Aviv Maor from Ein Harod, had been run over and then stabbed. She was pronounced dead after being transported to HaEmek Medical Center in Afula.
Earlier, in a separate but linked incident in the city of Beit She'an, a 68-year-old man, identified as Shimshon Mordechai, was fatally struck by a vehicle in what police confirmed was a terrorist attack. In a subsequent ramming in Beit She'an, a 16-year-old boy sustained light injuries.
The assailant's final act occurred outside Afula, where he exited his vehicle and attacked a 37-year-old man with a rock, wounding him. The terrorist then fled toward Kibbutz Tel Yosef in a car belonging to his employer.
Assailant Neutralized at City Entrance
Israeli police confirmed that a single perpetrator was responsible for all four attacks. The assailant was identified as a 37-year-old Palestinian man from Qabatiya, near Jenin. According to Kan public broadcaster, he had been working illegally in Israel.
His rampage ended at the entrance to the city of Afula, where he was shot and killed by a security officer. Israel Police Commissioner Danny Levi, speaking at the scene near Ein Harod, described it as a "very serious incident" and thanked the officer who neutralized the terrorist. Levi stated the incident was over and that an investigation was underway with the Shin Bet and other security agencies.
Official Responses and Condolences
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement expressing condolences to the families of the victims and wishing a speedy recovery to the wounded. He also voiced support for "the heroic citizen who neutralized the terrorist."
Netanyahu acknowledged that while counter-terrorism operations have seen many successes, "murderous attacks from time to time" still occur. He affirmed that the government would continue to act against those seeking to harm Israeli citizens.
Defence Minister Israel Katz instructed the Israel Defense Forces to act forcefully against the assailant's home village. "Every terrorist must be located and neutralized, and terrorist infrastructure in the village must be struck," Katz said. He warned that anyone assisting terrorism would "pay the full price" and extended his deepest condolences to the bereaved families.
