1 killed, 4 wounded in Haifa stabbing attack as Hamas accuses Israel of trying to ‘collapse’ ceasefire

The attack occurred at a busy transit hub, and Israeli police are treating it as a militant incident. According to authorities, the assailant—an Arab citizen of Israel who had recently returned from abroad—was killed by a security guard and a civilian.

Members of ZAKA rescue services clean blood stains at the scene of a stabbing attack in Haifa, Israel, on Monday, March 30, 2025, where a 70-year-old man was killed and four others were injured. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

The incident comes amid heightened regional tensions over the ongoing ceasefire negotiations in Gaza. The militant group Hamas praised the attack but did not claim responsibility.

Israel trying to ‘collapse’ Gaza ceasefire

Hamas has accused Israel of attempting to derail the Gaza ceasefire agreement, claiming that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s push to extend the first phase of the deal is a deliberate effort to avoid negotiations on the second phase, which would involve an Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.

In a video statement, senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan described Israel’s push to extend the first phase as “a blatant attempt to evade the agreement and avoid entering into negotiations for the second phase.”

“We condemn the cheap blackmail that Netanyahu and his extremist government are committing against our people by using humanitarian aid as a pressure card in the negotiations,” he said, calling on the international community to pressure Israel into reopening border crossings and allowing humanitarian aid into Gaza.

He further accused Israel of attempting to “bring back the situation to square one” by proposing amendments to the truce that were not part of the original deal.

Netanyahu’s office said on Sunday that Israel was imposing a blockade on Gaza because Hamas had rejected a plan—allegedly proposed by US special envoy Steve Witkoff—to extend the first phase of the ceasefire and continue hostage releases.

Egypt and Qatar, both key mediators, joined other Arab states in condemning Israel’s move, with the Egyptian foreign ministry accusing Israel of using starvation as “a weapon against the Palestinian people.” Turkey also criticized the blockade, calling it a form of collective punishment and a violation of international law.

Meanwhile, foreign ministers from several Arab nations have gathered in Cairo for closed-door talks ahead of the Arab League summit, where leaders are expected to discuss alternatives to Donald Trump’s controversial proposal for the forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza.

(With inputs from AP)