2 Murdered in Tel Aviv Attack

Two Israelis were killed and another was moderately-seriously wounded in a stabbing in southern Tel Aviv on Thursday afternoon.

The incident took place in a foyer to a small Shul used for a daily mincha minyan in the Panorama building on Ben Tzvi Boulevard.

One of the victims managed to stumble into the synagogue after being stabbed, and others managed to close the door as the attacker attempted to follow the wounded victim.

Shimon Vaknin, an eyewitness to the attack, told Yeshiva World News, “I arrived in the building for a meeting. The person I was meeting with told me ‘we made it in time for mincha’ and I too davened. There were between 15-20 people. During Shmona Esrei a Jewish man stumbled, full of blood, falling on some of us.”

Vaknin added, “I have a weapon and ran out after the terrorist who fled. It appears he then ran to a lower floor and stabbed others.”

The victims were identified as 32 year old Aron Yesyev, hyd of Cholon, and 51 year old Reuven Viram, hyd of Ramle.

The other members of the Minyan meanwhile were working on stopping the bleeding from the victim, who was bleeding profusely and a tourniquet was applied in an effort to stop his bleeding, Vaknin told Yeshiva World News.

One suspect, a 36-year-old resident of Dura with no criminal record, was seriously wounded and caught at the scene. The Shin Bet took custody of the Palestinian for questioning.

Due to reports of a second possible attacker, authorities bgan searching the area and police erected checkpoints on the nearby Ayalon Freeway.

The wounded were evacuated to Ichelov Hospital in central Tel Aviv.

Hamas released a statement praising the attack.