Israel declares state of emergency in Lod

The Israeli government has declared a state of emergency in Lod, southeast of Tel Aviv, amid escalating violence following the killing of a Palestinian citizen of Israel by a Jewish Israeli in the city.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed the situation with top government officials, including his defence and public security ministers, and “directed that lawbreakers be dealt with severely”, the Israeli government press office said in a statement.

“The sparks of violence that have been flickering for this whole month of Ramadan … those sparks have really, literally caught flame, and that fire is spreading,” he said. “These are very dangerous days.”