By Maayan Lubell

JERUSALEM (Reuters – Israeli security personnel were put on alert Wednesday as a Palestinian gunman shot and killed five Israelis in a Tel Aviv suburb. It was the latest fatal attack in a long string that has sparked fears of a wider escalation before the holy Muslim month Ramadan.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett stated Israel faced a “new wave” of terrorism and called a security Cabinet meeting. Police increased their presence within Israeli cities.

Bnei Brak is a Jewish city that adheres to the ultra-Orthodox faith. Tuesday’s shootings brought the total number of Arab attackers who have killed Israelis up to 11.

This was the most severe spike in street attacks in many years. It raised again an insecure feeling in Israelis.

According to police, the attacker was from Ya’bad in the occupied West Bank. During the shooting spree, he was killed by police.

Witnesses stated that he was walking through Bnei Brak residential areas, shooting down a cop, two Israeli civilians, and two Ukrainian citizens who were serving as veterans in Israel.

Two Arab Israeli citizens were among the attackers who attacked the Israeli city Beersheba with a knife and a car-ramming attack on March 22nd and two men involved in an assailant in the assault on Hadera on Sunday. Israeli authorities claimed the attackers, who died in the attack, were Islamic State-loving.

Mahmoud Abas, President of the Palestinian Authority, condemned the attacks on Bnei Brak. The attack was not claimed or claimed by any arm group. Residents in Ya’bad however, linked the assailant with the Fatah party.

According to the Israeli military, it has increased its presence in West Bank. Troops were also seen walking through Ya’bad. Yair Lepid, Israeli Foreign Minister, said that Israeli security forces had been at the most alert since the Gaza War last May.

Israeli officials have warned against a surge of violence during the period between April and Ramadan. It is this time that violence used to rise in the past.

Last year, there were nightly Ramadan clashes between Palestinians in East Jerusalem and Israeli police. These clashes, which took place in 1967 when Israel captured the West Bank and West Bank, sparked violence that resulted in the outbreak of conflict between Israel and Gaza militants.