At least six people were killed and dozens wounded in a Jerusalem bus stop shooting on Monday morning, Israeli authorities said. The attack unfolded at Ramot Junction, a busy intersection in East Jerusalem, during the rush hour commute.
Police reported that two assailants opened fire at a bus stop and then at a bus. Security personnel and a civilian quickly responded, shooting and killing the attackers.
Israel’s Magen David Adom ambulance service said the dead included five men and one woman. Six others suffered serious wounds. Hospitals in Jerusalem received 38 patients, most with light to moderate injuries.
Citing security officials, Kan TV identified the attackers as Palestinians from Qatanna and Al-Qubeiba, villages in the Ramallah Governorate of the occupied West Bank. They carried a handgun and an improvised submachine gun. Footage showed shattered bus windows, bullet holes, and panicked crowds fleeing from the scene.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a situation assessment with senior security officials following the incident. The European Union condemned the shooting and called for immediate de-escalation. EU spokesman Anouar El Anouni said the attack highlighted the urgent need for a ceasefire in Gaza.
The Jerusalem bus stop shooting occurred against the backdrop of nearly two years of Israeli military operations in Gaza. Violence has also escalated in the occupied West Bank, with increasing clashes between Israeli settlers and Palestinians.
READ: Xi Jinping unveils Global Governance Initiative to reshape world order