Israeli security and medical personnel secure the scene of an attack in which people were killed by a gunman on a main street in Bnei Brak, near Tel Aviv, Israel, March 29, 2022. Photo: Reuters/Nir Elias

Terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon openly gloated on Wednesday following the latest attack in a wave of terrorism that struck Israeli cities in recent days, claiming the lives of eleven people — five of whom were murdered by a Palestinian gunman on Tuesday night.

In the Lebanese capital Beirut, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah — the leader of the Iranian proxy group Hezbollah — met with Ziyad al-Nakhalah, the secretary-general of Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

A communique following the talks stated that the pair discussed “the latest situations in the Palestinian arena, the development of the jihadist operations within the territories occupied in 1948 [a reference to Israel], and the operations that took place over the past days.”

Separately, a statement from Ismail Haniyeh, the political chief of the Gaza-based terrorist group Hamas, praised the “heroic operation” carried out in Bnei Brak on Tuesday by gunman Diaa Hamarsheh, a 27-year-old Palestinian from the West Bank.

“On the anniversary of Land Day, Hamarsha’s operation has redrawn the map of the homeland, revived the spirit of holding tight to this blessed land, and directed a message that the future is drawn by the legitimate indigenous owners of Palestine, not the occupiers, normalizers or collaborators,” Haniyeh stated.

“Land Day” refers to annual protests held on March 30, the date in 1976 that six Israeli Arabs were shot by Israeli police during rioting in the Galilee region.

Calling for the replacement of the State of Israel with a Palestinian state, Haniyeh lauded “the legitimate and moral valiant resistance to end the occupation of our land and holy places, free our detainees, and return to our homes from which we were displaced.”

Other Palestinian terrorist groups who praised the attack include the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Fatah-linked Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

Israel raised its alert level following the Bnei Brak attack. The Israel Defense Forces are “prepared for a variety of scenarios and will continue acting as needed to preserve the daily routine of Israeli civilians,” Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi said.