Palestinian Man Kills Two in Northern Israel in Car-Ramming and Stabbing Attack

On Dec. 26, 2025, Israeli authorities and multiple news outlets reported a combined car-ramming and stabbing attack in northern Israel that left two people dead and at least one teenager wounded.

“A Palestinian worker, 33-year-old Youssef Omar Ahmad Aqel, died of earlier injuries in Ar‑Ram; Israeli Channel 12 earlier reported he was taken to hospital in moderate condition”

- IMEMC News

Police and emergency services described the incident as a 'rolling terror attack' that began in Beit Shean and continued toward Afula and Road 71.

- IMEMC News

Officials later identified the victims as 18- or 19-year-old Aviv Maor and 68-year-old Shimshon Mordechai.

Several outlets reported the attacker was from the West Bank town of Qabatiya and that he was shot and taken to hospital in a wounded condition after being stopped.

The accounts place the attack amid a broader surge of violence since Oct. 7, 2023.

Accounts vary on how the assailant was stopped.

Several mainstream outlets and local reports say a civilian confronted or shot the attacker near Afula and that the suspect was wounded and hospitalized.

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The BBC, The Guardian and Anadolu Ajansı use phrasing such as 'shot and wounded by a civilian' or that a passerby 'neutralized' the assailant.

However, some outlets give different or more definitive outcomes — SSBCrack News stated simply 'Police shot and killed the suspect,' while other reports say police engaged him or that security officers were involved.

These immediate discrepancies reflect the chaotic, rapidly evolving nature of on-scene reporting.

News reports differ on the attacker's identity and age.

“Two people were killed in a combined car-ramming and stabbing attack in northern Israel on Friday, officials said”

Al Jazeera

Several outlets identified him as a Palestinian from Qabatiya in the northern West Bank.

Some outlets named him as Ahmad Abu al-Rob or Ahmad Abu ar-Rob (Anadolu Ajansı, IMEMC).

Those outlets suggested possible ties to Islamic Jihad.

Punch Newspapers and other sources gave his age in the mid-30s (34).

Algemeiner and BBC gave the locality without a precise age.

These variations, including names, ages and alleged affiliations, appear in different outlets' initial reporting.

Many reports rely on local media, security statements or army radio.

Some outlets explicitly state that any affiliation is alleged.

Israeli officials ordered a swift security response in the West Bank town the attacker was said to be from.

Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered troops to act forcefully and immediately, and the military massed around Qabatiya, conducting focused operational searches and entering the suspect's home.

Algemeiner

Forces prepared operations that some reports said included bulldozers and engineering surveys ahead of possible home demolition.

The IDF and police also detained or questioned local residents and the suspect's employer, according to several outlets.

Human rights groups and other critics warned that house demolitions and broad raids risk collective punishment of civilians.

Wider reporting frames the attack within a sharp rise in violence since Oct. 7, 2023, and includes additional related incidents that media linked to the same trend.

“Israel’s public broadcaster KAN says a mobile security cordon and tightened movement restrictions will be imposed on the West Bank town of Qabatiya for several days”

Anadolu Ajansı

Several outlets cite UN or aggregated figures showing heavy Palestinian casualties in the West Bank and dozens of Israeli deaths in attacks since October.

Anadolu Ajansı

Others note separate incidents such as an alleged unlawful ramming by an Israeli reservist in the West Bank the previous day.

Political leaders condemned the killings.

President Isaac Herzog called them a "horrific killing spree" and Prime Minister Netanyahu named the victims and praised the civilian who intervened.

Other commentators and outlets stressed the broader drivers of escalation.