Palestinian gunmen opened fire at a bus stop in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem on Monday, September 8, killing six people and wounding several others, according to Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar. "Palestinian terrorists murdered six Israelis," Saar said, adding that one of the dead was a recent immigrant from Spain. Police said the two gunmen were also killed. Four of the dead were ultra-Orthodox Israeli men, according to local media outlets.
The dead included a man "about 50 years old and three men aged around 30," a statement from the Israeli emergency service Magen David Adom (MDA) said, adding it was providing medical treatment to several of the injured. MDA also said seven other people were in serious condition. The late morning attack took place at the Ramot Junction on Yigal Street and left about 15 people wounded, an earlier statement by MDA said.
"Let it be clear: these murders strengthen our determination to fight terrorism," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters at the scene of the attack. "We are now engaged in pursuit and are cordoning off the villages from which the murderers came. We will apprehend whoever aided and dispatched them, and we will take even stronger steps," he added.
The Israeli army said troops were searching the area for suspects, as well as "encircling several areas on the outskirts of Ramallah" in the Israeli-occupied West Bank in response to the attack.
The Palestinian militant group Hamas, which has been at war with Israel in Gaza for nearly two years, 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. The shooting was one of the deadliest incidents of its kind since the war in Gaza began after Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel.
Paramedic Fadi Dekaidek, who was at the scene, said the attack was "severe." "The wounded were lying on the road and sidewalk near a bus stop, some of them unconscious," he said in a statement issued by MDA. Police said the attackers had opened fire toward 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.
A 'spiral of violence'
France "strongly condemns the terrorist attack" in east Jerusalem, President Emmanuel Macron said, offering his condolences to the victims and the Israeli people. "The spiral of violence must come to an end. Only a political solution will bring back peace and stability for all in the region," he added.
Germany's foreign minister, meanwhile, said he was "deeply shocked" by the shooting, 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.
Spain's foreign ministry condemned the attack, affirming its "commitment to peace in the Middle East."
The EU condemned the deadly shooting and said it underscored the urgent need for a ceasefire as Israel wages war in Gaza. "We condemn this attack, as we condemn all loss of lives," European Union spokesman Anouar El Anouni said. "We call for de-escalation, and this shows how necessary and critical a ceasefire is," he added. "Civilians on both sides, both Palestinians and Israelis, have suffered for far too long and far too much. And this must end now, and it is high time to break this cycle of violence."
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres denounced Monday's "terror attack in Jerusalem," his spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, said in a statement, adding that the UN chief was conveying his "heartfelt condolences" to the victims' families.