A Bedouin man went on a shooting spree at a bus station in southern Israel on Sunday, killing an Israeli soldier. In the mayhem, a security guard shot an Eritrean migrant, who was then beaten by a mob and later died.
Police say the guard had mistaken him for a second attacker.
As the Eritrean man lay on the ground bleeding, people rattled by the shooting kicked and beat him and hit him with a bench, cell phone video showed.
It was broadcast on Israeli television, triggering outrage on top of tensions that have peaked in a spate of violence between Israelis and Palestinians in recent weeks.
But Beer Sheva, the bus station’s location, is not in Palestinian territory. It is in Israel, and Bedouins are their own ethnic subgroup. Police have not discussed a motive, but some Bedouin groups have been at odds, at times violently, with Israeli authorities over issues of their own, according to the website of the Knesset, Israel’s parliament.
Snatches M16 rifle
The shooting attack on Sunday began when the Bedouin attacker, Mohannad Al-Oqbi, 21, shot Israeli soldier Sgt. Omri Levi, 19, point-blank with a pistol, police said.
Al-Oqbi then snatched the soldier’s military rifle, an M16, and opened fire with it in the crowd, said Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld. Al-Oqbi wounded 10 more people before police shot him dead.
People scrambled and ducked for safety from the gunman, security camera video authenticated by Israeli police showed. The Eritrean man shuffled on all fours among them, and had rounded a kiosk when the security guard ran toward him and opened fire with a handgun, the security video showed.
Angry mob
An angry mob then brutalized the downed, wounded Eritrean, the second video, taken by a cell phone, showed.
Police identified the Eritrean migrant as Abtom Zarhom, 29.
Israeli police condemned the bludgeoning, which it said rendered the victim unrecognizable. Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said there would be an investigation to determine who was involved in the beating.
“It should be noted that the police see this in a very severe light and will not allow people to take the law into their hands, and everyone should act with restraint and carefulness and allow the police to do their job,” Samri said.
Bedouin tensions
Al-Oqbi was from the town of Hura, which is near Beer Sheva in the Negev desert. Authorities have also arrested a member of his family on suspicion of helping him, Samri said.
Bedouins are a traditionally nomadic Arabic-speaking people in the Middle East. In Israel, they hold citizenship, but some have clashed with authorities over policies to settle them in cities.
Some Bedouin settlements have gained recognition as towns, but some have not been recognized and have been condemned to demolition, according to the Knesset website.
This has led to tensions between some groups of Bedouins and the Israeli government. On the other hand, tensions between Israelis and Palestinians have led Bedouins to “strengthen their Palestinian identity,” according to the Knesset website.
Protesting Bedouins sometimes carry Palestinian flags.
Deadly clashes
The Beer Sheva rampage comes as Palestinians and Israelis have shed blood for weeks, mostly in Palestinian territories and neighborhoods.
On Sunday, four Palestinians were injured by live fire in the West Bank, according to a spokesman for the Palestinian Health Ministry.
Seven Israelis have been killed since October 1 in attacks by Palestinians with knives, guns and cars, according to Israeli officials.
Protesters have rioted in Palestinian territories, many throwing rocks, and at times Israeli security forces have used live ammunition.
At least 44 Palestinians have been killed this month in Jerusalem, Gaza and the West Bank, Palestinian Authority Health Ministry spokesman Osama al-Najjar told CNN. This figure includes those killed after carrying out attacks.
This is in addition to the more than 1,770 injured by live fire or rubber bullets in the same time period, according to Najjar.
Both sides have traded blame about who is responsible for the ongoing violence. Both sides have turned up gruesome video recordings to support their claims.