Deadly Shooting in Jerusalem Leaves Five Dead, Dozens Injured
Jerusalem — A late-morning shooting at the Ramot Junction on Yigal Street left five people dead and around 15 others injured, Israeli emergency services reported on Sunday. Seven of the wounded are in serious condition. Police said the two attackers were also killed during the incident.
According to Magen David Adom (MDA), the victims included a man in his 50s and three men in their 30s. Paramedics are continuing to provide medical care to those injured.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking at the scene, condemned the attack. “Let it be clear: these murders strengthen our determination to fight terrorism,” he said.
The Israeli army said troops were conducting searches in the area and “encircling several areas on the outskirts of Ramallah” in the West Bank as part of their response.
International leaders also reacted. French President Emmanuel Macron strongly condemned the attack, while Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul called it “cowardly.”
Hamas, the Palestinian militant group involved in a nearly two-year conflict with Israel in Gaza, praised the attack, claiming it was carried out by two Palestinian militants. “We affirm that this operation is a natural response to the crimes of the occupation and the genocide it is waging against our people,” Hamas said.
Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich accused the Palestinian Authority (PA) of fostering violence. On X, he wrote that the PA “raises and educates its children to murder Jews,” and called for villages linked to the attackers to be “reduced to the status of Rafah and Beit Hanoun,” referencing areas in Gaza devastated by airstrikes.
The PA governs civilian life in parts of the West Bank, home to roughly three million Palestinians and around 500,000 Israeli settlers living in communities considered illegal under international law.
Israeli paramedic Fadi Dekaidek, who responded to the scene, described the attack as “severe.” He recalled seeing wounded individuals lying on the road and sidewalk near a bus stop, some unconscious.
Police said the attackers had arrived by vehicle and opened fire at a bus stop. A security officer and a civilian at the scene returned fire, killing the gunmen.
The shooting marks one of the deadliest attacks since the outbreak of war in Gaza following Hamas’s October 2023 assault on Israel.
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