Terror attack kills two in Israel

On Sunday night, two Arab gunmen waited for a bus at a station in Hadera, about 30 miles north of Tel Aviv, and then opened fire on civilians, killing two border policemen — both 19 years old — and wounding four bystanders. An Israeli official said anti-terrorist officers in a restaurant nearby ran out and killed the shooters. The attackers posted a Facebook video swearing allegiance to Islamic State (ISIS) before the attack. Five days earlier, a lone attacker fatally stabbed four people in southern Israel before a passerby killed him. ISIS claimed responsibility for both attacks. Police across the country are on the highest state of alert.

Why two attacks now? The group’s claim of responsibility did not include a reason, but Pakistani terror organizations are calling for increased attacks before the Muslim observance of Ramadan starts April 2. During last year’s holy month, clashes resulted in an 11-day war between Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers. The attacks also coincide with a meeting between the foreign ministers of four Arab nations and the United States in Negev, 160 miles south of Hadera. 

Dig deeper: Read Mindy Belz’s report in WORLD Magazine on the war during last year’s Ramadan.