Adv. Gedalyahu Ben Shimon, chairman of the Religious Council in Ramat Gan and a senior figure in the Shas Party who also serves on the Bnei Brak City Council, was seriously injured Thursday in a stabbing attack on Bialik Street in Ramat Gan.

Emergency personnel from Magen David Adom were called to the scene and treated the victim before transporting the 47-year-old to Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv for further care.

Police apprehended a 20-year-old Arab resident of Jatt at the location of the attack and launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident. The Shin Bet has also joined the inquiry.

Witnesses at the scene reported that the suspect shouted “Allahu Akbar” during the assault.

Shlomo Bergstein, a senior paramedic with Magen David Adom’s motorcycle unit, described the condition in which responders found the victim, saying he was conscious but suffering from severe stab wounds.

“We received a report about a man with serious penetrating injuries to his body. When we arrived at the scene, we saw the injured man conscious, with many bystanders around him. We had to act quickly,” he said.

Bergstein said that paramedics administered emergency treatment at the scene before rushing the victim in a Magen David Adom intensive care ambulance to the hospital’s trauma unit.

Yehuda Avidan, Director-General of the Ministry of Religious Services, reacted to the attack with a statement calling it an act of terror and urging the public to pray for the victim’s recovery.

“We are shocked and horrified by this despicable terrorist attack. Terror will not deter us from continuing on our path, but right now the entire people of Israel are united in prayer for the recovery of the head of the Religious Council in Ramat Gan. I call on the entire public to pray for the recovery of Gedalyahu ben Yehoshua, who needs a full recovery.”

{Matzav.com}