British tourists confirmed wounded in Tel Aviv terror attack
British holidaymakers are confirmed wounded in Tel Aviv terror attack when driver ploughed into pedestrians after father watched his two British daughters get shot dead in front of him in separate horror
- WARNING – GRAPHIC CONTENT
- Comes amid rising conflict between Israeli and Palestinian factions this week
British tourists have been confirmed among the injured in a Tel Aviv ‘terror attack’ last night.
Neil Wigan, the British Ambassador to Israel, today said that he condemned the attack ‘where an Italian national was killed and British nationals were injured’.
He said that British authorities were in touch with the hospital and will offer their support.
Lord Ahmad, the minister for the Middle East, earlier condemned the attack and the previous shooting in the West Bank, which left two British-Israeli nationals dead and their mother hospitalised yesterday.
The attacks follow a week of rising tensions between Israeli and Palestinian factions, following the Israeli bombing of Gaza and Tyre on Thursday night, in turn responding to rockets launched against Israel from southern Lebanon.
Israeli officials work at the scene of an attack in Tel Aviv after a shooting in the West Bank
One was killed and seven were injured in the attack which took place yesterday in Tel Aviv
The Minister for the Middle East and North Africa condemned yesterday’s attacks and confirmed the victims included British nationals
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly held a call on Saturday with his Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen to discuss both of Friday’s ‘appalling’ attacks.
In Tel Aviv last night, a car was seen to mount the pavement near a seaside park and drive through pedestrians.
Alessandro Parini died following in the Tel Aviv attack in Israel
A 36-year-old Italian man was killed in the attack, named by Italian news outlet Repubblica as 36-year-old Alessandro Parini from Rome.
Walla, an Israeli internet company based in Tel Aviv, said a 74-year-old man, a 39-year-old man, a 17-year-old girl in ‘moderate’ condition, a man in his 50s and a 70-year-old woman were taken to the Wolfson Hospital in Holon and Ichilov.
A 31-year-old man and a 27-year-old woman, both tourists, were later taken to hospital with slight injuries.
Police said they shot and killed the driver of the car and identified him as a 45-year-old Palestinian citizen of Israel from the village of Kafr Qassem.
The force were said to have shot Mr Qassem as he approached the overturned car and had appeared to reach for a weapon, according to the Jerusalem Post.
The force described it as a ‘shooting attack’, although according to a police source no weapon was found in the vehicle except a toy gun.
A video circulating on social media showed the car hurtling along a sidewalk for several hundred metres before crashing out of control.
Israeli medics and police check a damaged car at the scene of a shooting, in the Jordan Valley in the Israeli-occupied West Bank April 7, 2023
Israeli forces gather near the Hamra junction in the northern part of the Jordan valley in the occupied West Bank following a shooting attack on April 7, 2023
Israeli medics and policemen check a damaged car at the scene of a shooting attack, in the Jordan Valley in the Israeli-occupied West Bank April 7, 2023
Earlier on Friday, two British-Israeli sisters were killed in a shooting in the West Bank.
Their father was reportedly driving in front and turned around to find his wife and daughters had been shot.
READ MORE: British tourists among victims’ of Tel Aviv ‘terror attack’ after car rams into crowd of people – as video shows the moment Israeli police shoot suspect
His wife was medevacked to hospital in critical condition.
Israel later said that its forces were blocking roads in the area and ‘had started a pursuit of the terrorists’ responsible for the attack.
A Foreign Office spokesman told MailOnline: ‘We are saddened to hear about the deaths of two British-Israeli citizens and the serious injuries sustained by a third individual.
‘The UK calls for all parties across the region to de-escalate tensions.’
Shadow foreign secretary David Lammy said: ‘I am shocked by reports of the killing of two British sisters in an appalling and cowardly attack in the West Bank.
‘My thoughts are with their family and loved ones. More civilian victims of this cycle of violence show the urgent need for diplomatic efforts to de-escalate.’
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly had earlier called for calm after Israel bombed Tyre and Gaza on Thursday night in response to rocket attacks launched from southern Lebanon earlier that afternoon.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised an ‘aggressive responsive’ in retaliation to the attacks which injured civilians.
The cross-border fighting, while Jews are celebrating the Passover holiday and Muslims are marking Ramadan, erupted following violent scenes at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque as police removed worshippers attempting to stay overnight in the compound, starting Wednesday morning.
Fire and smoke rise following an Israeli airstrike in central Gaza Strip overnight on Thursday
Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets from the Gaza Strip on Friday
Mr Cleverly said both sides in the Israel-Palestine dispute should ‘recommit themselves to a negotiated settlement’.
He said: ‘The UK condemns the indiscriminate rocket attacks from southern Lebanon and Gaza and recognises Israel’s right to self-defence.
READ MORE: Two British sisters – one aged 15 and another in her 20s – are killed and their mother, 48, is seriously wounded in West Bank shooting
‘Now is the time for all parties across the region to de-escalate tensions.
‘At the convergence of Passover, Ramadan and Easter, the UK calls for all parties to respect the historic status quo arrangements at Jerusalem’s holy sites and cease all provocative action.
‘The UK is a strong supporter of freedom of religion or belief and calls for places of worship to be respected.
‘We value Jordan’s important role as custodian of the holy sites in Jerusalem and condemns the Israeli police violence at the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
‘When Israeli security forces conduct operations, they must ensure they are proportionate and in accordance with international law.’
Human rights campaign group Amnesty International UK criticised Mr Cleverly’s response.
The charity’s Kristyan Benedict said: ‘James Cleverly’s belated response to shocking Israeli violence against Palestinians at Al-Aqsa Mosque isn’t just weak and tokenistic – it’s also dangerously misguided because it effectively isolates individual incidents of violence from the overall context, which is decades of apartheid, occupation and systematic injustice against the Palestinian people.
‘Despite the Foreign Secretary’s usual platitudes about ‘peace’ and ‘de-escalation’, the UK continues to oppose vital international measures such as the ongoing ICC (International Criminal Court) investigation, designed to bring justice and accountability for Israeli and Palestinian civilians.’
The attacks follow a spate of violence between Palestinian and Israeli factions leading on from a police raid of the Al-Aqsa mosque in East Jerusalem on Wednesday morning.
Israeli police stormed the Al Aqsa mosque in East Jerusalem with tear gas and stun grenades to confront Palestinians barricaded inside with fireworks and stones.
Muslim worshippers have been demanding the right to pray overnight inside the mosque, which authorities typically only permit during the last 10 days of the month-long Ramadan holiday.
They also stayed in the mosque in protest threats by religious Jews to carry out a ritual animal slaughter at the sacred site for Passover.
At least 14 Palestinians were injured and hundreds arrested on Tuesday night into Wednesday morning as Israeli police raided the mosque, sparking global condemnation.
Video footage dated 5 April showed police beating protestors with rifles. Other footage showed Palestinians inside the mosque shooting fireworks back at the security forces.
On Saturday, hundreds were reported to gathered in Manchester to protest the ‘assault’ on Al-Aqsa.
People waved flags and carried banners reading ‘Manchester supports Palestinian resistance’.
On Friday, pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered in Kensington, London, where the Israeli embassy is located, to protest perceived Israeli aggression.
The peaceful protest claimed to stand in solidarity with Palestine and held signs calling for an end to ‘Israeli apartheid’.
Foreign Affairs Committee chairwoman Alicia Kearns said it was ‘incredibly difficult to see how’ the raid earlier this week was ‘legitimate’ as she urged the Government to increase its efforts to bring peace to the Middle East.
The Tory MP told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme there has been ‘too much silence’ from the Foreign Office in recent weeks.
‘We need to step up,’ she said. ‘We really need to re-engage, we need to make sure that our Arab partners know that we are here and listening and we need our Israeli friends to know we stand completely behind their security.’
She added that the UK must ‘be a critical friend to both sides’.
Protestors gathered today as violence escalates between Palestinian and Israeli factions
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gather near the Israeli embassy in Kensington, London, today
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