A Palestinian with a “history of mental illness” was shot and killed in Jerusalem on Monday following a car-ramming attack, Israeli media reported.
The Palestinian man, Hatem Abu Nijmeh, 39, has reportedly driven his car over a group of Israeli Jewish settlers, injuring seven, the Israeli newspaper the Jerusalem Post reported.
Though no Israelis were killed in the incident, one is in reportedly serious condition while the rest sustained mostly light wounds. One of the Israelis has been hospitalized due to shock.
“Nijmeh was a married father of five who was unknown to security forces but reportedly had a history of mental illness,” the Jerusalem Post reported.
In a speech shortly after the incident, rightwing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that such attacks “are carried out with the expectation that they will uproot us from here.”
“If they could, they would murder us all,” the Post quoted the embattled Israeli leader as saying.
Violence in the Occupied Territories has increased significantly in recent months. Last year witnessed what the UN called the highest number of Palestinians killed by Israel since 2005.
This year is on its way to witnessing even more casualties, mostly Palestinians killed in the northern West Bank towns of Jenin and Nablus.
