Surveillance footage appears to show an armed Israeli restaurant owner Thursday neutralizing a Palestinian terrorist who was carrying out an attack that killed two Israelis.
The video, posted by Times of Israel military correspondent Emanuel Fabian, opened with the owner, carrying a rifle in a sling, standing with another person in his hummus restaurant. The restaurant owner could be seen walking toward an open door to the outside and raising his rifle as he stepped outside. He then could be seen suddenly retreating into the building as something that looked like smoke hit his restaurant. The owner of the restaurant then could be seen taking aim with his rifle. (RELATED: Armed Israelis End Palestinian Terrorists’ Shooting Spree That Left 1 Dead And 11 Wounded)
Aviad Gazbar, the restaurant owner, had just returned from reserve duty in the Gaza Strip and told the media he sprung into action when he “heard shots,” The Times of Israel reported. “I fired a bullet so that the terrorist would know I was here. I saw that he saw me, and he started charging towards me, I took him down and continued scanning,” he said, according to the outlet.
Surveillance camera footage shows the moment the owner of a hummus restaurant shot dead the Palestinian terrorist who killed two Israelis at a gas station near the West Bank settlement of Eli. pic.twitter.com/fKULPll1cS
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) February 29, 2024
The restaurant could then be seen shooting his rifle at the presumed terrorist carrying an object that looked like a rifle, captured on video by another security camera outside the restaurant. One of the shots appeared to hit the alleged terrorist, who collapsed on the road. The terrorist’s image then became blurred but he was still seen moving around on the ground. The owner continued to fire at the terrorist as the video ended.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that three Palestinians were involved in the terrorist attack, The Jerusalem Post reported. While two were eliminated by the IDF, the third was killed by the restaurant owner, the outlet noted. The terrorist was later identified as Muhammad Manasra, a 31-year-old Palestinian police officer, who was previously jailed for weapons offenses, The Times of Israel reported.