Jerusalem, 8 September (H.S.):
On Monday morning, two Palestinian gunmen opened fire at a crowded bus stop at Ramot Junction in northern Jerusalem, killing six people and wounding twelve in one of the deadliest attacks in the city in recent years. The assailants, identified as Mohammad Taha, 21, from Qatanna, and Muthanna Amro, 20, from Qubeiba in the West Bank, arrived by car and indiscriminately opened fire on civilians during rush hour.
An off-duty Israeli soldier from the ultra-Orthodox Hasmonean Brigade, along with armed civilians, returned fire and killed the attackers on the spot. Weapons, ammunition, and a knife were recovered from the scene. The victims ranged in age from 25 to 79, including five men and one woman; two wounded remain in critical condition. Israeli forces have since encircled the attackers’ home villages near Ramallah and are searching for potential accomplices.
The dead were named as Levi Yitzhak Pash, 57, Yaakov Pinto, 25, Yisrael Matzner, 28, and Rabbi Yosef David, 43, Rabbi Mordechai Steintzag, 79, and Sarah Mendelson, 60.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who visited the attack site, condemned the shooting as part of an ongoing “intense war against terrorism on several fronts,” pledging to pursue and punish those who aided the attackers with “tougher measures.” Netanyahu tweeted: “Israel will not bow to terror. We will continue fighting until our citizens are safe.” The attack drew swift international condemnation from leaders including France’s Emmanuel Macron and the UK’s Yvette Cooper. The Palestinian presidency condemned violence against civilians, while Hamas praised the shooting as a “heroic operation” without claiming responsibility.
The incident comes amid heightened Israeli military operations in Gaza and escalating violence in the West Bank, intensifying fears of wider regional conflict. The Jerusalem attack marks the deadliest since November 2023 and underscores ongoing security challenges for Israel amid a complex and volatile security environment.
Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
