A Jewish man has described the moment he was stabbed by a fellow Israeli man who mistakenly thought he was an Arab.

Uriel Razkan was in a car park near an Ikea store in Kiryat Ata when he was attacked on Tuesday morning.

Speaking to Army Radio after being treated in hospital, the grocer said: “I’m working, and suddenly I feel four knife stabs in my back.

“I heard a shout, ‘You deserve it, you deserve it, Arab bastards!’ When I turn around I see a Haredi (Orthodox) man.

“I shouted to him, ‘I’m a Jew,’ but he tried to continue. I just ran away - otherwise I would have been killed.”

Police arrested his attacker and believe he may have stabbed Mr Razkan in a misdirected revenge attack following a wave of stabbings by Palestinians in recent weeks, the Times of Israel reported.

The suspect allegedly approached an Arab man first and asked if he was Arab, which the man denied.

Mr Razkan, who is recovering from his injuries, said that both Israelis and Palestinians were committing "racist hate crimes", adding: “If I were Arab, it still wouldn’t have been okay. You shouldn’t stab anybody.”

The Israeli–Palestinian conflict intensifies Show all 10 1 /10 The Israeli–Palestinian conflict intensifies The Israeli–Palestinian conflict intensifies Medics evacuate a wounded man from the scene of an attack in Jerusalem. A Palestinian rammed a vehicle into a bus stop then got out and started stabbing people before he was shot dead AP The Israeli–Palestinian conflict intensifies Israeli ZAKA emergency response members carry the body of an Israeli at the scene of a shooting attack in Jerusalem. A pair of Palestinian men boarded a bus in Jerusalem and began shooting and stabbing passengers, while another assailant rammed a car into a bus station before stabbing bystanders, in near-simultaneous attacks that escalated a month long wave of violence AP The Israeli–Palestinian conflict intensifies Youths attend the funeral of Ahmad Sharake who was shot during clashes with Israeli forces in Jelazun refugee camp, near Ramallah, West Bank. Tensions in the area continue to run high following a series of stabbing attacks that have occurred around Israel in clashes between Palestinian youths and Israeli security forces Getty Images The Israeli–Palestinian conflict intensifies Palestinians throw molotov cocktail during clashes with Israeli troops near Ramallah, West Bank. Recent days have seen a series of stabbing attacks in Israel and the West Bank that have wounded several Israelis AP The Israeli–Palestinian conflict intensifies Women cry during the funeral of Palestinian teenager Ahmad Sharaka, 13, who was shot dead by Israeli forces during clashes at a checkpoint near Ramallah, at the family house in the Palestinian West Bank refugee camp of Jalazoun, Ramallah AP The Israeli–Palestinian conflict intensifies A wounded Palestinian boy and his father hold hands at a hospital after their house was brought down by an Israeli air strike in Gaza Reuters The Israeli–Palestinian conflict intensifies Palestinians look on after a protester is shot by Israelis soldiers during clashes at the Howara checkpoint near the West Bank city of Nablus EPA The Israeli–Palestinian conflict intensifies A lawyer wearing his official robes kicks a tear gas canister back toward Israeli soldiers during a demonstration by scores of Palestinian lawyers called for by the Palestinian Bar Association in solidarity with protesters at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City, near Ramallah, West Bank AP The Israeli–Palestinian conflict intensifies Undercover Israeli soldiers detain a Palestinian in Ramallah Reuters The Israeli–Palestinian conflict intensifies Palestinian youth burn tyres during clashes with Israeli soldiers close to the Jewish settlement of Bet El, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, after Israel barred Palestinians from Jerusalem's Old City as tensions mounted following attacks that killed two Israelis and wounded a child

Tuesday was the worst day of violence in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories since tensions erupted last month.

Three Israelis and three Palestinians, including two attackers, were killed and many more were injured in stabbings, shootings, rock-throwing and clashes with security forces.

The Security Cabinet authorised police to close off Arab and Palestinian areas of Jerusalem in an emergency meeting last night that introduced a raft of controversial new measures.

Hundreds of soldiers are being deployed in the city and across Israel today as tensions continue to increase.