In a deadly attack that happened in Jerusalem, at least six people were killed and several others were wounded after gunmen opened fire on a bus. The incident happened at a busy intersection in north Jerusalem on Monday. The road where the attack happened leads to Jewish settlements located in East Jerusalem.
According to police the attackers shot people waiting at a bus stop. While Israeli media reported the attackers also boarded a crowded bus and opened fire inside the bus. Footages from the scene showed commuters fleeing as soon as the gunfire erupted near a bus stop. Paramedics said there was chaos at the scene. Glass was broken everywhere. Many victims were lying unconscious on the road and sidewalk. One woman and four men were killed.
At least two gunmen carried out the shooting, according to Times of Israel, which also cited to preliminary reports. “At 10:13 am [local time], reports were received… about approximately 15 injured, apparently from gunfire, at the Ramot Junction on Yigal Yadin Street in Jerusalem,” AFP news agency quoted a statement by Magen David Adom said.
The shooting happened a few hours after Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz gave Hamas an ultimatum. He told the Palestinian militant group to drop their weapons and surrender. He warned that Hamas would be “annihilated” if they did not comply.
Videos of the attack showed many people running away from a bus stop at a busy intersection during morning rush hour. First responders said the scene was chaotic. People were lying unconscious on the road and sidewalk, surrounded by broken glass. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is at the scene, alongside National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
Hamas hailed the attack as “heroic,” but did not claim responsibility. Violence has increased in Israel and the occupied West Bank since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and the following war in Gaza.
In the past 24 hours, six people in Gaza died from famine and malnutrition, health officials said. This brings the total deaths from malnutrition in Gaza to 393, including 140 children. Last month, the world’s leading hunger organization declared a famine in Gaza for the first time.
