On Monday, September 8th, two Palestinian gunmen opened fire at a bus station in the outskirts of Jerusalem, Israel, resulting in at least 6 deaths and 12 injuries, with 6 of them in critical condition.
The police have labeled the incident as a “terrorist attack,” marking it as one of the deadliest attacks in Jerusalem in recent years.
Israeli authorities stated that two “terrorists” arrived by car and started shooting at a bus station in Ramot Junction, a northern suburb of the city. The police added that a soldier and a civilian at the scene returned fire, fatally shooting the terrorists.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar later mentioned that the gunmen were Palestinians from the West Bank of the Jordan River.
Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas issued a statement condemning “any actions against Palestinian and Israeli civilians.” However, the Palestinian militant group Hamas praised the two Palestinian “resistance fighters” for their actions.
Police found several weapons, ammunition, and a knife used by the attackers at the scene.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rushed to the scene of the attack. He stated that the Israeli military is pursuing suspects who aided the two gunmen.
Netanyahu pledged to enhance Israel’s military operations. “I want to make it as clear as possible: these murders and attacks on every front will not weaken us. They will only strengthen our determination to fulfill our mission,” he said. “We are fighting terrorism, the Houthi terror regime, and the support they receive from Iran in Gaza, Lebanon… on all fronts. We will not relax or retreat. We will intensify our actions to achieve all goals.”
According to the Spanish Foreign Ministry, among the casualties was a Spanish citizen. The Foreign Ministry issued a statement condemning the attack and expressed its “deepest condolences to the families of the victims, especially the family of the deceased Spanish citizen.”
European countries including France, Italy, Belgium, Poland, and Germany have also condemned the assault.