At least six people were killed and seriously injured in a shooting in the northern suburbs of Jerusalem on Monday morning, according to Israeli ambulances and hospital staff.
Police described the shooting as a terrorist attack, saying the perpetrator was killed at the scene. No group has yet to assert responsibility for the attack.
The shooting occurred around 10:15am when two gunmen fired fire at people waiting at a bus stop at a busy junction, police said. Police added in a statement that the bus stop soldiers and several civilians “have engaged the attackers and returned fire,” killing them on the spot.
The junction where the attack occurred is located in Ramot, which was adopted by Israel in the 1967 Arab-Israel War and later annexed. The Palestinians and much of the world consider Ramot to be a settlement in the occupied territories.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the scene of the attack and said his country was in a “war on terrorism” in several respects.
“We are now surrounding the village where the murderers were born,” he added.
Previously, Israeli forces said they had dispatched soldiers to search for additional suspects, and that the forces had been sent to seal some areas on the outskirts of the Palestinian city of Ramallah on the occupied West Bank.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saa said the gunman was Palestinian.
The attack comes at a difficult moment as Israel expands its nearly two-year campaign against Hamas into Gaza, Gaza's main urban centre. In the West Bank, attacks on the Palestinians and their property have intensified in recent months, reaching record highs as they grabbed land from Jewish settlers.
Paramedic Fadi Dekadek said in a statement from ambulance services that he arrived at Ramot to find “a very difficult and tragic scene.”
“The injured were lying on the road and sidewalk near the bus stop,” he added.
According to ambulance services, four male victims were declared dead at the scene, with about 12 victims being moved to hospital, seven of whom were seriously injured by gunshot wounds. Two other victims were declared dead after arriving at the hospital, officials said.
Hamas led an attack on Israel in October 2023, which sparked the war in Gaza, and praised Monday's shooting without taking responsibility. In a statement, Hamas said the shooting was a “heroic and unique operation” and a “natural response” to what Israel calls “continued attacks on Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank and Jerusalem.”
Myra Novek Reports of contributions.
