Russian woman murdered in alleged terrorist attack in Israel

An elderly woman was stabbed to death in the Israeli coastal city of Herzliya on Friday, in what the authorities have called a terrorist attack. The 83-year-old victim has been identified by local media as a Holocaust survivor born in Russia.

Ludmila Lipovskaya was attacked outside her nursing home, according to Israeli media reports. She was rushed to hospital in Tel Aviv in a critical condition with multiple chest wounds, and did not survive.

The suspect is a Palestinian, officials have told journalists. The man in his late 20s used to be an informant for the security service Shin Bet, and was exfiltrated from the West Bank to Israel after being exposed, the agency said.

The military reportedly gave an order for his name not to be published, but some outlets had already identified him as Ibrahim Shalhoub, from the West Bank city of Tulkarem.

Since moving to Israel, he had various brushes with Israeli law. Until June this year, he was in prison, media reports said. The knifeman was “neutralized” and arrested at the scene, according to officials.

The attack and subsequent takedown of the perpetrator were filmed, according to graphic footage circulating online. CCTV video appears to show him pushing the victim to the ground and stabbing her multiple times.

In a separate clip filmed by an eyewitness, cries for help can be heard, including in Russian, followed by multiple gunshots. Security guards who responded to the altercation injured the attacker, according to reports.

Lipovskaya was reportedly waiting for her daughter to pick her up in the morning to take her to a medical appointment, when she was assaulted. Her nursing home is said to be popular among the Russian-speaking community in Herzliya.

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