Jerusalem, Israel.- A Palestinian who rammed his car into a crowded bus stop in east Jerusalem killed two people, including a 6-year-old boy, and wounded five others before he was shot dead, police and rescue workers said in the latest escalation of violence in the disputed city.
The attack occurred at a bus stop in Ramot, a Jewish settlement in East Jerusalem. Tensions in the eastern half of the city, annexed by Israel, have risen since a Palestinian shot dead seven people on January 27.
It was the deadliest attack recorded in Jerusalem in more than a decade. The condition of the other victims, between the ages of 10 and 40, was moderate or serious. They were waiting for the bus when they were hit.
“It was a terrifying scene,” said paramedic Lishai Shemesh, who happened to be passing by when the attack took place. “I was in the car with my wife and children and I saw a car ram the stop and crush the people who were waiting there.”
An off-duty detective shot and killed the suspected assailant at the scene. Police said he was a Palestinian in his 30s from East Jerusalem.
Speaking from the scene, Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, a hardliner, ordered police to set up checkpoints around Issawiya, the driver’s neighborhood, “control every vehicle” and “create a total blockade “.
The Palestinian militias Islamic Jihad and Hamas – which governs the territory of Gaza – praised the outrage, although they did not declare themselves responsible. Videos taken at the scene showed police and paramedics surrounding a wrecked blue Mazda. There were bodies lying on the ground.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog sent condolences to the families of the victims. “Our hearts are heavy with the terrible news,” he said.
Israel claims the entire city of Jerusalem as its undivided capital. The Palestinians want the eastern part, captured by Israeli forces in the 1967 Six-Day War along with Gaza and the West Bank, to be the capital of their future state.
