Six killed and over a dozen injured in east Jerusalem shooting

LAST UPDATE | 17 hrs ago

AT LEAST SIX people have died and over a dozen more have been injured following a shooting in Jerusalem, officials have confirmed.

Four people were killed at the scene and another later died from their injuries in hospital, Israel’s emergency response service Magen David Adom (MDA) said earlier.

Both gunmen involved were also killed at the scene, according to police.

Palestinian gunmen opened fire at a bus stop along a major road in the illegal Israeli settlement of Ramot Alon in occupied East Jerusalem this morning.

At least nine people are currently being treated for gunshot wounds, with a number of other injuries reported at the scene.

Hamas praised the attack, saying 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 in a statement.

Police said the attackers had opened fire towards a bus stop after arriving in a vehicle.

“A security officer and a civilian at the scene responded immediately, returned fire, and neutralised the attackers,” they said in a statement.

Speaking on Israel’s Channel 12, a police spokesperson said there were two assailants involved, with the force later confirming both were pronounced dead at the scene.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a meeting to assess the situation, his office said in a statement. He has since visited the site of the shooting. 

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In a post to X, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said he “strongly condemn[s]” the “brutal shooting” in Jerusalem today. He expressed his condolences to the victims’ families and loved ones.

“There can never be any justification for the killing of innocent civilians,” he said.

President Micheal D Higgins wrote of the attack: “The killing of six people at a bus stop in Jerusalem is unconscionable and yet another example of how human life is not being respected. Such actions will not be of any help to any cause. Justice requires an approach that is respectful of human life.”

Germany’s foreign minister said he was “deeply shocked” by a shooting attack Monday that killed four people and injured several others in east Jerusalem, describing it as a “cowardly terror attack”.

“My thoughts are with the victims’ families. I wish those who were injured a speedy recovery,” Johann Wadephul wrote on X.

Gaza city assaults

In Gaza City, Israeli attacks killed 10 people overnight, after at least 48 other people were killed across the territory yesterday.

Israel has stepped up attacks in recent days, levelling high-rise buildings in Gaza City which it has vowed to capture, despite mounting international pressure to stop the war.

In Gaza City today, bereaved father Issa Suleiman carried the body of his one-year old son, wrapped in a white shroud.

“We were sleeping in the tent with my three children and my wife,” he told AFP, adding that five of his neighbours were killed and several seriously injured, including his wife and mother.

Defence Minister Katz wrote on X that “today, a massive hurricane will hit the skies of Gaza City”, where he said the military was “preparing to expand” operations.

United Nations rights chief Volker Turk said he was “horrified by the open use of genocidal rhetoric… by senior Israeli officials”.

This morning, Tánaiste Simon Harris spoke with the new UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, who is due to host a meeting between Palestinian State President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli President Isaac Herzog this week.

- Additional reporting by Andrew Walsh