A Palestinian man stabbed passengers on a Tel Aviv bus during rush hour Wednesday morning, injuring at least 12 people, four of them, including the driver, critically. The suspect, 23-year-old Hamza Mohammed Hasan Matrouk, who was shot in the leg by police, reportedly told investigators his attack was motivated by last summer’s Gaza war and recent tensions over the Temple Mount.
According to JTA, Matrouk, who is from the Tul Karm refugee camp in the West Bank, boarded the crowded bus at 7:15 a.m. and soon began stabbing passengers. The bus driver sprayed Matrouk with pepper spray as he was being stabbed, and police shot him in the leg as he fled the scene shortly after.
A video of the attack was posted online.
Stephanie Butnick is chief strategy officer of Tablet Magazine, co-founder of Tablet Studios, and a host of the Unorthodox podcast.
