Three men were killed in separate violent incidents within less than an hour Wednesday morning across central and northern Israel: Rabbi Amos Guata, a prominent kabbalist, was fatally stabbed at a synagogue in Netanya, allegedly by his student; a 21-year-old was shot dead in Yagur; and a 24-year-old was fatally shot in Shefa-'Amr, according to Israeli media.
The spate of violence unfolded between roughly 07:00 and 08:00 Wednesday morning. In Netanya, Magen David Adom paramedics pronounced Rabbi Amos Guata, 70, dead at the scene after he was stabbed at a synagogue in the northern part of the city; police suspect a student of the rabbi carried out the attack and are investigating the motive — as The Zioneer reported at 07:45 and 08:01.
Within the same hour, a 21-year-old man was shot dead in Yagur (near Haifa) and a 24-year-old was fatally shot in Shefa-'Amr (in the Galilee). Magen David Adom crews treated both victims at the scene and evacuated them to nearby hospitals, where they were declared dead. Police have opened investigations into all three incidents but have not yet reported arrests or disclosed a possible connection between them. The Shefa-'Amr and Yagur shootings remain without identified suspects.
The early-morning cluster marks one of the deadliest hours in Israeli civilian violence this year, coming after a string of separate killings in the past two weeks — including the June 19 double murder in the Golan Heights and the June 25 shooting of two teenagers in Jaffa. The circumstances and motives in each case are still under investigation.
4 developments
- StrongProminent Netanya kabbalist Rabbi Amos Guata eulogized as 'great loss' after morning stabbing
- DevelopingRabbi Amos Guetta stabbed to death at Netanya yeshiva; suspect arrested, sent for psychiatric evaluation
- DevelopingNetanya city council member, student of slain Rabbi Guetta, eulogizes him as a spiritual father
- DevelopingViolent clashes as police attempt to conduct autopsy on slain Rabbi Guetta's body
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