Tel Aviv, May 6 (IANS) Two Palestinians armed with axes attacked passers-by in Israel, killing at least three people and injuring four others before fleeing the scene, authorities said on Friday.The attack took place late Thursday night in Elad, a Jewish ultra-Orthodox city east of Tel Aviv, reports Xinhua news agency."We are on a manhunt for the terrorists," police spokesman Eli Levi said in a briefing to reporters, adding that roadblocks were set up and a helicopter was dispatched to search for the two attackers who apparently fled in a vehicle.Eli Bin, CEO of the Magen David Adom rescue service, told reporters that one injured person was in critical condition, another sustained serious wounds, while two others were in moderate-to-light condition.No group has immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. However, the Palestinian Hamas militants have praised the attack as a response to Israeli actions at Jerusalem's flashpoint holy site of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.The attack came at the end of Israel's Independence Day, which marks the country's statehood in 1948."The joy of Independence Day was cut short in an instant. A murderous attack in Elad that shocks the heart and soul," Foreign Minister Yair Lapid tweeted.Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said in a statement that the "enemies launched a murderous campaign against Jews... We will lay our hands on the terrorists and their supportive environment, and they will pay the price".Meanwhile, the Israeli military announced that a general closure imposed on Tuesday on the West Bank and Gaza Strip will be prolonged until Sunday instead of Friday "following a security assessment"."Crossings into Israel will be open for Palestinians on a humanitarian basis, under special circumstances or for medical reasons only," the military said in a statement.The latest attack came amid rising Israeli-Palestinian tensions caused by a recent spate of deadly attacks and repeated clashes at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem.
--IANS ksk/
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