Jerusalem — Six people were killed and eight wounded Monday morning when two Palestinian gunmen opened fire on commuters waiting at a crowded bus stop on Jerusalem’s northern edge, in one of the city’s deadliest shootings in recent years, according to BBC News.
Israeli police said the attackers drove to Ramot Junction and unleashed a volley of bullets before being shot dead by an off-duty soldier and armed civilians. Authorities later recovered rifles, ammunition, and a knife from the scene.
The victims included five men, aged 25 to 79, and a 60-year-old woman. Two of the injured remain in critical condition. Dashcam footage released by Israel’s foreign ministry captured chaos at the bus shelter as terrified men, women, and children fled under gunfire.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, visiting the site, vowed retaliation: “Israel is in an intense war against terrorism on several fronts. We will pursue whoever aided and dispatched them and take even stronger steps.” Soldiers quickly cordoned off Palestinian villages near Ramallah believed to be home to the gunmen.
Eyewitnesses described panic. “Suddenly I hear the shots starting… I thought I was going to die,” said Ester Lugasi, one of the wounded. Daniel Katzenstein, a first responder, treated a bus driver named Mohammed who also rushed to help. “This is not Islam versus Judaism,” he said. “It’s people who wish to do harm versus people who want to live.”
President Isaac Herzog condemned the attack as “absolute evil.” French President Emmanuel Macron and Britain’s new Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper also denounced the shooting.
While no faction immediately claimed responsibility, Hamas praised the assault as a “heroic operation,” framing it as retaliation for Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza. The Palestinian presidency, by contrast, condemned violence against civilians on all sides.
The attack comes as Israel intensifies its offensive in Gaza City while weighing U.S.-brokered ceasefire proposals with Hamas. It follows a similar shooting at a Jerusalem bus stop in November 2023 that killed three Israelis.
