Tel Aviv Stabbing Spree Leaves One Dead and Ten Wounded During International Women's Day Celebration

Jerusalem, 8 March, 2016 (TPS) -- Tel Aviv (TPS) – A terrorist went on a stabbing spree on Tuesday evening, March 8 at the Jaffa port leaving ten injured and one dead in one of the bloodiest attacks yet in the six-month-long wave of terror.

Police were alerted of the attack at 6:23 p.m. and arrived at the scene shortly afterward, where they shot and killed the terrorist, a 22-year-old Israeli Arab from Qalqilya.

According to a police spokesperson, the terrorist stabbed three at the Jaffa port and later went on to the Manatery restaurant nearby where he stabbed an additional four victims before being shot and killed by police.

Magen David Adom (MDA) paramedics later reported they were providing first aid at the scene to a number of victims before evacuating ten of them. Five of the victims were in serious condition, four in moderate condition, and one in light condition.

Two of the victims are Arabs, one of whom is a Palestinian illegal resident and another a pregnant woman in serious condition.

One of the victims, a tourist celebrating International Women’s Day with his wife, succumbed to his wounds before reaching Wolfson Hospital. His wife also sustained serious injury.

“Unfortunately, one of the victims did not make it to the hospital alive. Another victim is seriously wounded and is being treated in the trauma ward while one victim sustained lighter injuries and is currently undergoing surgery,” a Wolfson Hospital spokesperson said.

The latest statement issued by police said that “the terrorist arrived at the Jaffa port and began stabbing civilians at the scene. As a result, four individuals were evacuated by MDA to various hospitals nearby. The terrorist then fled in the direction of Tel Aviv and managed to injure three additional victims who were treated by MDA.”

The Tel Aviv District police commander later said in a statement: “Police teams had received reports of the attack while the stabbing spree was ongoing and responded at the scene. They spotted the terrorist while he was stabbing other civilians, and they neutralized him at the third scene of the attack spree. The victims were evacuated to various hospitals, one of whom tragically died on the way.”

Large numbers of police began scouring the area to verify there were no additional attackers.

During the attack, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden was visiting the Peres Center for Peace in Jaffa a short distance away.

“This is the kind of warm welcome that Palestinians are giving Vice President Biden in his attempt to facilitate the peace talks,” a security official told Tazpit Press Service (TPS).

A woman was shot and moderately wounded after attempting to stab police forces near the Western Wall. She later succumbed to her wounds.

Another woman was arrested at the Qalandiya checkpoint north of Jerusalem earlier in the day after a knife was found in her bag.

A stabbing attack took place in Petah Tikva later in the afternoon, leaving one lightly wounded. A police officer was wounded in a shooting attack at Damascus Gate at approximately the same time.

Michael Zeff contributed to this report.