Hamas on Monday praised the terrorist who killed an Israeli and injured four others with a tractor in Jerusalem. Hamas said that it “congratulated the free Palestinian of Jerusalem for his attack. This attack is a natural response to the occupation of our people,” Hamas said. In a statement, Hamas spokesperson Fawzi Barhoum said that “the action in Jerusalem was very brave, a natural response to the occupation.” Hamas called on Arabs around Israel to continue conducting terror attacks. “We call on those living in the West Bank and Jerusalem to continue fighting, no one needs to command them what to do.” Hamas has been calling for an “uprising” against Israel by Arabs throughout Operation Protective Edge, turning mass attacks into a “third intifada.” Arabs have been rioting since the beginning of the operation, with an upswing in violence in recent days, police said. A 25-year-old man, a hareidi kollel student, has been killed, after Magen David Adom (MDA) medics declared him dead at the scene. The attack occurred on Zachs and Shmuel HaNavi street near the traffic circle outside the Zvill Beit Medrash and one block from the Olive Tree Hotel. Witnesses there reported that the tractor driver rammed a bus and that the event did not seem like an accident.
