J Street is horrified by today’s terror attack in Bnei Brak, in which a Palestinian gunman from the West Bank killed five Israelis and wounded several more. This attack follows a number of other recent acts of terror, including the shooting of two Israeli border policemen on Sunday in the city of Hadera, and a knife attack last week in Beersheva that left four Israelis dead and two wounded. The two previous attacks are now thought to have been committed by Arab citizens of Israel who supported the Islamic State.

While the direct link between these incidents is not yet clear, this recent spate of attacks – which have taken the lives of 11 Israelis in total – is extremely disturbing. We condemn these violent attacks which terrorize innocent people, leave families mourning the loss of their irreplaceable loved ones, and risk sowing more fear and hatred in a conflict that has already seen far too much of it.

We fervently hope that this surge in terror will soon come to an end. In this terrible moment, our thoughts are with the victims of these attacks, their families and communities, and all those now living in fear of further violence.