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Location Neve Ze'ev, Beersheba, Israel Date May 20, 2013 (2013-05-20), 13:00 a.m., EDT Attack type Mass shooting, murder-suicide Weapons .45-caliber Glock 21 semiautomatic pistol Deaths 5 (including the perpetrator) | ||
On May 20, 2013, a mass shooting occurred in a Bank Hapoalim branch located in Beersheba. Itamar Alon, an Israeli citizen in his 40s, entered into the bank and opened fire, killing four and wounding five. He then took a woman hostage and killed himself when police arrived.
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The shootings
At around 1:00 p.m., Alon went to the branch of Bank Hapoalim in the Neve Zeev neighborhood located in Beersheba. It was reported that he came to the branch earlier to request a loan from the bank officials. When they refused, Alon left the bank and eventually returned with a .45-caliber Glock 21 semiautomatic pistol and began shooting, killing four people and wounding five. He then took a woman as hostage, but she was rescued by Israeli police forces. Though it was reported that the police then began to shoot, witnesses said that the police conducted negotiations with him. Alon shot himself and died in the Soroka Medical Center. Police officials stated that there was no security guard at the bank at the time of the incident.
Reactions
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the massacre "a terrible tragedy". He said he does not remember such an event and that it is a phenomenon that is not common in Israel. During meeting with officials, Avigdor Lieberman said that the event is a terrorist attack by all means and that "there is no doubt it affects everything, and makes it clear what the right priorities are"