The attack took place in the southern city of Beersheba, at a petrol station and an outdoor shopping complex.
Three women and a man were killed by the attacker, the Magen David Adom ambulance service said.
Two other people were injured in the incident, one of them critically.
The assailant was then shot by a person passing as the incident unfolded.
Police say the incident in Beersheba is being treated as a suspected terror attack.
Military correspondent for the Times of Israel, Emanuel Fabian, tweeted that one of the victims was “rammed by the assailant, and the others were stabbed.”
Police spokesperson Eli Levy told Channel 13 TV: “It appeared to be a single terrorist who went on a stabbing spree.”
He added: “A civilian took the initiative and shot and killed him.”
Israeli media have identified the assailant as an Arab citizen of Israel.
MORE TO FOLLOW…
