Developing: Tel Aviv Explosion Classified as ‘Terror Attack’

An explosion in Tel Aviv on Sunday evening has been officially labeled as a terror attack by Israeli police and the Shin Bet, Israel’s domestic security service.

The Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, claimed responsibility for the incident via a statement on its Telegram channel. According to police, the individual suspected of carrying the explosive device died in the explosion, and a bystander was injured.

In a joint statement released on Monday, the Israel Police and Shin Bet described the event as a “terror attack” involving a significant explosive device. They reported that the injured bystander received moderate injuries and was taken for medical treatment.

An early Monday statement from a police official to CNN highlighted that the situation could have been much worse, suggesting that many more could have been killed. The official did not speculate on the potential target of the attack.

By Monday, Tel Aviv police revealed that the individual responsible for the attack had no prior criminal record and was not previously known to security forces.

Following the explosion, extensive searches were conducted throughout the greater Tel Aviv area, prompted by numerous reports to police about the loud blast on HaLehi Street.

Hamas described the attack as a “martyrdom operation,” conducted in collaboration with the Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad. They stated that such operations would continue as a response to what they call “the occupation’s massacres, the displacement of civilians, and ongoing policy of assassinations.”

The attack occurs amid heightened tensions in the region and the ongoing conflict in Gaza, though it remains uncertain if the attack was directly related to the broader security challenges.