Palestinian gunmen opened fire outside a synagogue outside Jerusalem on Friday, killing at least seven Israelis.
Police said the 21-year-old resident of East Jerusalem arrived outside the Neve Yaakov synagogue at around 8:15 pm local time, when worshipers were celebrating the Sabbath.
He opened fire on several people before fleeing and was killed by police officers who were called to the scene. In addition to the fatalities, police said three others of him suffered injuries of varying severity.
The deadliest shooting in Jerusalem since 2008 occurred on Holocaust Remembrance Day, the day after Israeli special forces killed nine Palestinians. Jenin refugee camp In the West Bank targeting Islamic Jihad militants in Palestine.
In response, Islamic Jihad militants in Gaza fired rockets into Israel on Thursday night, bomb target In a coastal enclave that has been blockaded by Israel and Egypt since the Hamas militant group took power in 2007. No casualties were reported by either side.
The outbreak of riots is the first major clash since the war. Benjamin Netanyahu’s Hardline New GovernmentWidely regarded as the most right-wing in Israeli history.
Netanyahu visited the shooting site Friday night. He described the attack as “one of the most serious we’ve seen in years,” and said the cabinet would meet on Saturday.
“Our hearts are with the family,” he said. “We must act with determination and calmness. I call on people not to let the law into their own hands.”
Former Prime Minister Yair Lapid, who heads the main opposition party, Yesh Atid, said the attack was “horrible and heartbreaking”.
“We must not allow terrorism to lift its head and must be firm against terrorists and the people who sent them,” he said.
Police said the suspect had been acting alone, but was searching the area to rule out the possibility that he had accomplices. Palestinian militant groups hailed the attack but did not immediately claim responsibility.
Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said the attack was “a natural reaction to the criminal actions of the occupying forces”.
Friday’s shootings followed months of near-night clashes between Israeli security forces and Palestinian militants in the West Bank and the 56-hour conflict between Israel and militants in Gaza last August. It continued, exacerbating fears that long-simmering Israeli-Palestinian tensions could spill over. To an even bigger conflict.
Last year was the bloodiest year for Palestinians in the West Bank since 2005, according to the United Nations, following a spate of attacks by Palestinians that killed 31 Israelis in 2022, beginning last spring. , Israeli forces killed 151 after stepping up operations in the area. .
In another incident Friday night, three Palestinians were hospitalized after being shot near Nablus in the northern West Bank, according to Palestinian media.
Palestinian officials said Thursday night they were canceling security cooperation with Israel in response to the attacks on Jenin, prompting US officials to reverse the decision.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is scheduled to visit Israel and the West Bank next week as part of a pre-planned regional visit. CIA Director William Burns was also visiting on Friday.
A spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “deeply concerned” about the escalating violence, condemning Friday’s shooting. A spokeswoman said: “Now is the time to exercise maximum restraint.
https://www.ft.com/content/8ab5b001-6604-4a83-9fdb-1c49ee884bd5 Seven killed in shooting at Jerusalem synagogue