Six Killed in Jerusalem Bus Stop Shooting; Gunmen Identified as Palestinians

JERUSALEM: Six people were killed and 11 others injured on Monday when two Palestinian gunmen opened fire at a bus stop on the outskirts of Jerusalem, in what police described as one of the city’s deadliest attacks in recent years.

Dashcam footage from the scene captured terrified commuters fleeing as gunfire erupted. Another video showed a bus with its windscreen and windows riddled with bullet holes. “Suddenly I hear the shots starting … I felt like I was running for an eternity. I thought I was going to die,” said survivor Ester Lugasi, speaking from hospital.

Israel’s ambulance service said the victims included a man and a woman in their fifties and three men in their thirties. Later, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar confirmed a sixth fatality. Of the injured, six remain in serious condition with gunshot wounds.

Police said the attackers arrived by car and opened fire at Ramot Junction before being neutralized. Several firearms, ammunition, and a knife were recovered at the scene. The Israeli military said soldiers were deployed to assist police and launched operations in Ramallah to track down possible accomplices.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, visiting the site, vowed to pursue anyone who assisted the attackers.

The Palestinian militant group Hamas praised the shooters as “resistance fighters” but did not claim responsibility. Islamic Jihad also lauded the attack. The two assailants were later identified as Palestinians from the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

International condemnation followed swiftly. UK Ambassador to Israel Simon Walters called the attack “abhorrent” and urged an end to the cycle of violence. EU envoy Michael Mann also denounced the shooting, declaring that “terrorism and violence against civilians are never justified.”

In a rare move, the Palestinian Authority issued a statement indirectly condemning the assault. “The presidency affirms its stance in rejecting and condemning any harm to Palestinian and Israeli civilians, and rejects all forms of violence, regardless of their source,” the statement said. It added that lasting security would require an end to Israel’s occupation and the realization of Palestinian statehood.

The Jerusalem attack follows a series of deadly incidents over the past two years, including a November 2023 shooting at a Jerusalem bus stop that killed three and a Tel Aviv attack in October 2024 that left seven dead. Israeli security services have previously linked such assaults to Hamas.