Three Eritreans stabbed in south Tel Aviv Internet cafe

(JTA) — Three Eritreans were stabbed in a south Tel Aviv internet cafe, allegedly by an Israeli male who fled the scene.

No motive for Tuesday’s attack was established, nor has a suspect been identified, the web magazine +972 reported.

Isias Tesprem, the owner of the cafe in the Shapira neighborhood, said he did not recognize the attacker.

“I never expected anything like this to happen — we have no outstanding debts and have not hurt anyone,” said Tesprem, who has been in Israel for five years.

The attack was the latest in a string of violent incidents targeting African migrants from Sudan and Eritrea, believed to number 60,000 to 70,000 in Israel. Their status has been the source of intense political discussions.

On July 20, an Eritrean man was shot in the early morning when an unknown assailant opened fire in a Shapira neighborhood building where several Eritreans were sleeping in the hallway, the Israeli news outlet Ynet reported. ActiveStills.org posted photos from the crime scene, reporting that the shooting took place in the garden outside the building. No arrests have been made; police believe the incident was most likely a robbery.

Jerusalem has seen an uptick in anti-migrant violence in recent months.

On July 12, a man and his pregnant wife, both from Eritrea, were injured when their apartment was the target of arson. The fire was set barely five weeks after a similar attack transpired in the Israeli capital. In both cases, the fire was set at the entrance to the apartment door.

On July 6, Israel’s Walla News reported that a 68-year-old Eritrean man was beaten by drunken youth in the vicinity of the Machane Yehudah market. A 23-year-old bakery employee who came to the man’s defense also was attacked.