Israeli security forces stand guard at the site of a stabbing attack in Tel Aviv on Jan. 18, 2025, a day before a ceasefire is set to take effect in Gaza following the Israeli cabinet's approval of a deal between Israel and Hamas. (Credit: Jack Guez/AFP)
Israeli police said that an assailant stabbed and seriously wounded a person in the center of commercial hub Tel Aviv on Saturday, before being shot and "neutralized" by a civilian.
The attack came hours before a cease-fire is set to take effect in the Gaza Strip, where Israel has been fighting the Palestinian militant group Hamas for more than 15 months.
The police had initially spoken of a shooting with several wounded but clarified in a later statement that the "terrorist" was armed only with a knife.
Israeli police use the term "terrorist" to refer to Palestinians who carry out attacks for political motives.
"Initial investigations reveal that a terrorist armed with a knife arrived at the restaurant area on Levontin Street and stabbed a civilian," the later statement said.
"An armed civilian nearby shot and neutralized" the attacker.
Police said the stabbing victim was taken to hospital with serious wounds.
Emergency service provider Magen David Adom said its staff were providing medical treatment to a 30-year-old male "injured from stabbing" in the 4:30 p.m. attack.
It said he was taken to hospital in a conscious state.
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