Israel Halts Ramadan Travel After Tel Aviv Attack

Israel on Thursday suspended most special permits for Palestinians to visit Israel during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, as well as beefed up police patrols in Tel Aviv, after two Palestinians carried out a shooting in Tel Aviv Wednesday night that killed four Israelis. COGAT, an Israeli defense body, says 83,000 permits for Palestinians in the West Bank to visit relatives in Israel during Ramadan have been frozen, the AP reports. Israel considers the Ramadan permits a goodwill gesture toward Palestinians. The special Ramadan permits were also suspended for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, including permits to visit relatives in Israel, travel abroad, and attend prayers at the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, COGAT says.

In Tel Aviv, extra police units have been mobilized, mainly around the city's central bus station and train stations, says a police spokesman. Two gunmen were apprehended after Wednesday night's shooting at the popular Sarona Market complex, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called a "cold-blooded murder by despicable terrorists." Hamas welcomed the attack but did not claim responsibility for it. Hamas official Mushir al-Masri called the shootings a "heroic operation," and the group later issued an official statement promising the "Zionists" more "surprises" during Ramadan. (More Israel stories.)