An Israeli Arab was beaten by passersby who mistook him for a terrorist after he yelled in Arabic on the scene of the terror attack in Petah Tikva on Thursday.

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Maed Amar, 35, from Kafr Qasim, was just finishing his shopping in the Petah Tikva market, when he heard gunshots.

"I yelled in Arabic—'watch out, take cover,' and then people started pummeling me, yelling 'there's another terrorist here.' I wanted to warn people, and they nearly killed me," he recounted.

Maed Amar

Amar suffered head and leg injuries and was evacuated to Beilinson Hospital at the Rabin Medical Center in the city, where he was hospitalized. His condition is considered light.

A video filmed at the scene depicts Amar lying wounded on the ground, surrounded by security personnel. Passersby are heard shouting: "Kill him."

"I was in the Petah Tikva market to buy some things," Amar told Ynet. "When I finished my shopping, I started heading toward the bus going to Kfar Qasim. That same moment I heard the shots being fired and so I started yelling in Arabic—'watch out, watch out, take cover.' All of a sudden, several Jews approached me and said—'there is another terrorist here.' They thought I was in cahoots with the shooter."

Maed Amar beaten at the scene of the terror attack

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"I tried explaining to them that I had nothing to do with the shooting, but unfortunately, they kept hitting me and wounded me," he continyed. "It was very scary. They nearly killed me. All I wanted was to warn the people in the area, to keep them safe, but instead of thanking me, that gave me a beating. After my attack, police officers arrived on scene and pushed the assailants away."

Osama Amar, Maed's brother, added that his brother "is a quiet man, who would never hurt anyone. He always liked to help others. Now, he is shocked, and he still can't comprehend what happened to him. I hope this event doesn't recur."

Another Kfar Qasim resident, who was also nearby, said that "Maed Amar didn't do anything. They attacked him simply because he is an Arab. He was unarmed and posed no threat to anyone, but there are racist people who attack Arabs because of hatred. It's good they didn't shoot him to death."

Six people were wounded in the terror attack, while several others are considered shock victims. The terrorist, 19-year-old Sadiq Nasser Abu Mazen from Beita, was moderately hurt when civilians neutralized him, hitting him with a sewing machine.