A Palestinian terrorist who infiltrated Israel illegally from the Samaria town of Qabatiya murdered two Israelis and wounded two others in a combined stabbing-ramming attack that stretched across three locations in northern Israel on Friday. The 37-year-old terrorist, identified as Ahmad Abu al-Rub, had been working illegally inside Israel when he used his employer’s vehicle as a weapon, turning a typical workday into a killing spree that left families shattered and a nation mourning.
The attack began at 12:31 p.m. in Beit She’an, a city near the northern border of Samaria. Abu al-Rub first struck and killed Mordechai Shimshon, 68, with his vehicle before continuing his rampage westward toward Afula. In a separate ramming incident in the city, a 16-year-old boy sustained light injuries. The terrorist then drove to Route 71 near Kibbutz Ein Harod, where he encountered 19-year-old Aviv Maor, apparently while she was attempting to hitchhike. Abu al-Rub ran her over, then exited his vehicle and stabbed her to death. Near Afula, he attacked a 37-year-old man, striking him with a rock before an armed civilian shot and killed the terrorist at the entrance to Afula.
Aviv Maor, 19, from Kibbutz Ein Harod. (X, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
The Sages understood that the battle between Israel and those who seek its destruction is not merely political but spiritual. The prophet Jeremiah declared the stakes clearly: “Thus said the LORD: Cursed is he who does the LORD’s work remissly; Cursed is he who withholds his sword from blood” (Jeremiah 48:10). This verse, delivered in the context of divine judgment against Israel’s enemies, demands decisive action against those who perpetrate evil. The Hebrew word remiyah, translated here as “remissly,” carries the meaning of deceit and slackness. There is no room for half-measures when confronting terror.
Paramedics arrive to the scene of a stabbing near Ein Harod in northern Israel on December 26, 2025. (Magen David Adom)
Defense Minister Israel Katz grasped this biblical imperative when he immediately ordered the IDF to act forcefully against Qabatiya, the terrorist’s home village. “Every terrorist must be located and neutralized, and terrorist infrastructure in the village must be struck,” Katz stated. “Anyone who assists terrorism or provides sponsorship or backing for terrorism will pay the full price.” IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir convened an emergency situational assessment with military commanders and security officials, while additional troops reinforced the seam line and prepared to enter Qabatiya for operational activity.
The attack exposes a critical vulnerability in Israel’s security apparatus: the illegal Palestinian worker pipeline. Abu al-Rub had been working inside Israel illegally for an unknown period, the Kan public broadcaster reported. The preliminary IDF investigation indicates he infiltrated Israel several days before the attack. This represents a failure of security protocols that allowed a potential terrorist to move freely within Israeli territory, accessing vehicles and gaining knowledge of the terrain he would later use to hunt Jews.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar cut through the international community’s hypocrisy in his response. “The Palestinian Authority is deceiving the international community while continuing to pay salaries to terrorists and their families and encourage terror,” he wrote. “Terror will not win. We’ll continue to strengthen our hold on our land.” The so-called “pay-for-slay” program transforms murder into a career path for Palestinians, incentivizing attacks precisely like the one that claimed Aviv Maor and Mordechai Shimshon.
President Isaac Herzog contacted local officials to convey condolences and support to the communities struck by this terror. Israel Police Commissioner Danny Levi, speaking at the scene, confirmed the terrorist was neutralized and thanked the armed civilian whose quick action prevented further carnage. That unnamed citizen represents the reality of Israeli life: we are a nation of first responders because we must be.
Aviv Maor was 19 years old. She had her whole life ahead of her—a life stolen by a terrorist who exploited Israeli employers’ willingness to provide work opportunities to Palestinians. Mordechai Shimshon was 68, likely a grandfather, struck down in his own city. Their deaths demand more than mourning. They demand action. They demand that Israel’s leaders follow the biblical commandment not to be remiss in executing judgment against those who murder our people and the infrastructure that supports them. Qabatiya must face consequences. The seam line must be secured. The illegal worker problem must be eliminated. Anything less dishonors the memory of those murdered and invites the next attack.