He added: “We emphasized last night that no matter how long it took we would find the terrorist, dead or alive and when we found him this morning it required a quick reaction from the Yamam and Shin Bet forces in Jaffa.”
Prime minister Naftali Bennett praised the work of the authorities in neutralising the attacker and said: “The entire nation of Israel mourns the grief of the families of those killed and prays for the health of the wounded. Our war on murderous terrorism is long and hard. We will win.”
While the motive for the attack was not immediately clear, it comes after a series of terror attacks in Israel over recent weeks.
Four Israelis were stabbed to death by a terrorist in Be’er Sheva on 22 March.
Five days later, two police officers were shot dead in Hadera.
A shooting attack in Bnei Brak on 30 March left five victims dead.
