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At least six people were killed and several injured after two attackers opened fire on a busy bus stop in Jerusalem on Monday, Israeli officials said, marking the deadliest attack in the city in more than two years.
Among those killed was a man in his 50s and three men in their 30s, Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel’s emergency response service, said. A woman in her 50s died after emergency responders rushed her to the hospital in critical condition, MDA said. In addition, MDA said they treated six people in serious condition, two in moderate condition, and three in mild condition.
The attackers arrived by vehicle at the Ramot Junction in Jerusalem and opened fire toward a bus stop, Israeli police said in a statement.
A security officer and a civilian at the scene returned fire, “neutralizing” the attackers, the statement added. Several weapons, ammunition, and a knife used by the attackers were recovered from the scene, Israeli police said.
“Large police forces, under the command of the District Commander, are securing the area. Police bomb disposal units are ensuring the area is safe, while forensic teams are gathering evidence.”
The shooting marks the deadliest attack in the city in more than two years, when a Palestinian man opened fire killing seven people near a synagogue in January 2023. Ten months later, in November 2023, two Hamas militants killed three people in a shooting at a Jerusalem bus stop during a temporary ceasefire in Gaza. A fourth person was killed when an Israeli reservist shot a civilian who had responded to the attack.
In October 2024, two Hamas militants opened fire on a popular boulevard in southern Tel Aviv, killing seven people.
Hamas did not take responsibility for Monday’s shooting, but issued a statement welcoming the attack.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin, who held a “situational assessment” with heads of security following the attack, visited the scene later.
“We are at war against terrorism. The war continues in the Gaza Strip, and unfortunately, also in Jerusalem. In Judea and Samaria, we’ve thwarted hundreds of attacks this year, but unfortunately, not today,” Netanyahu said from the scene. “Judea and Samaria” is the biblical term by which Israelis refer to the occupied West Bank.
Last week, a security assessment presented to Israeli ministers in a meeting with Netanyahu warned of the potential of a flare-up in the occupied West Bank in the coming weeks, two Israeli officials briefed on the discussion told CNN.
One official said the combination of looming Palestinian statehood developments, and Israeli declarations about possible West Bank annexation, “could lead to a serious escalation of the security situation in the West Bank.”
Israeli soldiers have been dispatched to the scene of the shooting, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Monday, adding that they are searching the area for suspects in cooperation with the Israel Police.
Soldiers are also “encircling” several areas on the outskirts of Ramallah in the West Bank in order to “thwart terrorism and strengthen the defense effort,” the IDF said.
This story has been updated.