Gan Yavne stabbing: Three in ‘serious condition’ after being knifed in ‘terror attack’ at Israel shopping mall

THREE people have been left in a "serious condition" after being stabbed at a shopping mall in Israel.

The victims are believed to have been knifed near a mall in the town of Gan Yavne, central Israel, in a suspected terror attack.

The attacker had been "neutralised" on the spot by a municipal police force following the stabbings, according to local media.

The head of the local council called the attacker a "terrorist", reported the Times of Israel.

There are fears the attack is strongly linked to Israel's ongoing war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Israeli cops have set up roadblocks around the scene of the crime to help prevent any further attacks.

The force said in a statement: "Police forces were called to the Friendly Gan Yavne Shopping Mall following a report of a suspected attack.

"From an initial report, there are several victims with stab wounds at the scene."

The head of the Gan Yavne Council, Aharon Dror, also spoke of multiple people being injured on the scene.

His statement read: "The terrorist was neutralised by our municipal police in Gan Yavne, an inspector and a policeman who arrived at the scene and handled the incident.

"The security forces and the Israel Police, along with our security division and the local security squad, are conducting patrols throughout the area."

Israeli outlet state the victims were three young men aged 17, 20 and 35.

A preliminary investigation of the attack reveals that the terrorist was a 19-year-old Palestinian worker from Doura, in the Hebron district, who worked in one of the nearby stores.

He allegedly ambushed the three people, stabbing two before wounding the third.

The Magen David Adom ambulance service said the victims were taken to Ashdod’s Assuta Hospital.

The attack comes amid Israel's ongoing war with Hamas terrorists in Gaza.

The almost-six month ordeal appears to show no signs of reaching its conclusion.

On Tuesday, the righthand man of Hamas terror chief Yahya Sinwar was killed in an Israeli airstrike.

Branded the "Shadow Man", Marwan Issa was number three on the IDF's most-wanted list following the horrors of Hamas' massacre in Israel which killed 1,200 people.

However, Israel also announced last week that it was considering releasing up to 800 Palestinian prisoners in return for 40 of the hostages snatched by Hamas on October 7.

Dozens of Palestinian criminals who could be freed are serving life sentences for terrorist attacks, according to Israeli media outlets.

The United Nations Security Council has also passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza for the rest of Ramadan.

It led to Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu cancelling a planned visit to Washington by a delegation, accusing the US of withdrawing from “its consistent position”.