Two wounded in Israeli mall stabbing, attacker shot dead

Two Israeli men were injured in a stabbing incident at a shopping mall in northern Israel on July 3, with one in critical condition.

The attacker was shot dead at the mall in Karmiel, located in the Galilee region, Caliber.Az reports citing Israeli media.

Israel's Magen David Adom emergency service reported that both victims, in their twenties, were swiftly taken to hospital. One victim required emergency Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and was in critical condition, while the other was seriously injured.

Northern District Police Chief Shuki Tahauko informed reporters that the assailant acted alone, arriving at the mall on foot. One of the victims managed to shoot and kill the attacker.

The identity of the assailant has not yet been confirmed, although state-owned Kan TV reported he was an Israeli citizen residing in an Arab village near Karmiel. Most Arab-Israelis are descendants of Palestinians who remained during Israel's 1948 Independence War, known as "the Nakba."

Extensive police forces were deployed in the area, with heightened alert levels in Karmiel and its surroundings, Tahauko added.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, occurring amidst heightened tensions in the region, including Israeli military actions in Gaza following an attack by Hamas, and exchanges of fire between Israeli and Hezbollah forces along the Lebanese border.