Israeli Policeman Killed, Four Injured in Ashdod Shooting Operation – Knesset Considers Deportation Bill

October 15, 2024

An Israeli policeman was killed in a shooting operation in Ashdod. (Photo: video grab)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

An Israeli police officer was killed on Tuesday, and four others were seriously and moderately injured in a shooting operation near the southern city of Ashdod. 

The incident took place on a highway when an armed man, who was later shot and killed on the scene, opened fire on a police patrol car with a pistol.

Israeli security forces are currently investigating the attacker’s identity and are working to determine where he came from, who supplied him with the weapon, and how he reached the location of the attack.

Israeli security sources have indicated that no Israeli security agencies, including the police, Shin Bet, or the army, had any prior knowledge of the attacker. 

Later reports from Israeli Channel 14 identified the shooter as being from Jabaliya in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli police have denied the presence of another suspect in the area, despite continuing combing and investigation efforts. 

‘Natural Response’

Commenting on the attack, the Palestinian Resistance Movement Hamas stated that the shooting was a natural response to the Israeli occupation’s actions in Gaza, the West Bank, and other conflict zones. 

Hamas called for more operations within Israel, urging for an escalation until the aggression ceases and the occupation is defeated.

This shooting in Ashdod follows several recent attacks, including a stabbing operation in Hadera, which left one Israeli dead and five injured, as well as an earlier assault in Tel Aviv that killed seven people. 

The Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, claimed responsibility for the Tel Aviv attack.

Knesset Mulls Deportation

Meanwhile, the Knesset House Committee is preparing a controversial bill that would grant the Israeli government the authority to strip citizenship or residency and deport relatives of individuals who were allegedly involved in resistance operations inside Israel.

During the committee’s discussions, a representative of the Attorney General’s Office emphasized the need for a pattern of behavior to justify the implementation of the law, suggesting that it should be enacted as a temporary measure.

Likud member and committee chairman Ofir Katz, however, said: “Stop looking at the rights of the terrorists and look at the Israeli cemeteries that are being filled by these attacks.”

Palestinian rights groups have called the law another example of the Israeli apartheid regime and institutional racism.

(PC, AJA)