The fragile cease-fire between Israel and Hamas came close to being shattered after a pair of gunmen opened fire on a crowded bus stop in Jerusalem Thursday, killing three people and injuring at least eight.
The attackers, two brothers aligned with Palestinian causes, struck at 7:40 a.m. local time in the first attack on Israeli civilians since the Oct. 7 terror strike by Hamas against Israel.
The assault came less than an hour after the truce between Israel had been set to expire at 7am. However, it was extended by 24 hours just minutes before its expiration after agreements to exchange hostages and Palestinian prisoners were reached.
The bus stop bloodshed was caught on surveillance video, which showed a white sedan pulling up to a packed bus station at the entrance to the city.
The two men brandishing guns jumped out and charged at the crowd as people ran for their lives in terror.
Israeli rescuers inspect the scene following the shooting that killed at least three people on Nov. 30, 2023. AFP via Getty Images
Israeli security force members at the bus stop following the shooting on Nov. 30. 2023. AFP via Getty Images“The terrorists arrived at the scene by car in the morning, armed with an M-16 rifle and a handgun,” Israeli police confirmed.
“The terrorists began shooting at civilians before subsequently being killed at the scene.”
The gunmen were stopped by two off-duty soldiers and another civilian who was nearby, accoring to local outlets.
The victims were described by Israeli media outlets as two women, ages 24 and 67, and a 74-year-old rabbi.
Israel’s national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, visited the site of the shooting and told reporters that it “proves again how we must not show weakness, that we must speak to Hamas only through the [rifle] scopes, only through the war.”
The attack also took place on the same day US Secretary of State Antony Blinken landed in the city for talks with Israeli leadership.
Israeli rescuers placed the body of one of the victims onto a gurney at the scene of the shooting on Nov. 30, 2023. AFP via Getty Images
Israeli police shared a photo of the guns used in the shooting that left three dead and eight others wounded. Israel Police / Facebook
Israeli security forces stand next to a car reportedly used during the attack on Nov. 30, 2023. AFP via Getty ImagesIsrael’s Shin Bet security agency named the gunmen as Palestinian brothers Murad Nemer, 38, and Ibrahim Nemer, 30, who lived in East Jerusalem and were members of Hamas.
Both had previously been jailed in Israel for “terrorist activities.” Murad had served 10 years in prison and was released in 2020, the agency said.
The attack happened almost 50 miles from the Gaza strip controlled by Hamas, where Israel Defense Forces have concentrated their efforts following the Oct. 7 attack.
Onlookers watch as a vehicle used in the attack is removed in Jerusalem, on Nov. 30, 2023. AFP via Getty ImagesWhen asked if the attack had violated the cease-fire, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said: “This attack happened in Jerusalem. Pauses in the fight were specific to Gaza … It didn’t technically violate the deal that was in place. Obviously, it’s a stark reminder of who they’re facing.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also addressed the shooting and reiterated his government’s commitment to wiping out Hamas.
“It is the same Hamas that carried out the horrible Oct. 7 massacre, the same Hamas that tries to murder us everywhere,” Netanyahu said, shortly after meeting with in Jerusalem. “I told [Blinken]: ‘We swore, I swore, to eradicate Hamas. Nothing will stop us.'”
A man reacts at the scene of the shooting as the car suspected to be involved is taken away. AFP via Getty ImagesHamas confirmed that it was behind Thursday’s attack in Jerusalem, touting it as a “heroic” act.
“The operation came as a natural response to unprecedented crimes conducted by the Occupation [Israel],” the group said in a statement, citing the military offensive in Gaza and the treatment of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
Blinken, on his third visit to the region since the war erupted last month, said Thursday’s shooting was a reminder “of the threat from terrorism that Israel and Israelis face every single day … My heart goes out to the victims of this attack.”
The deadly attack came as Israel and Hamas struck a last-minute deal to extend their six-day cease-fire in Gaza by one more day to allow negotiators to keep working on deals to swap hostages for Palestinian prisoners.
With Post wires
