After a brutal Israeli raid left nine Palestinians dead in the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, shooting broke out.
In an uptick in violence following a deadly Israeli military raid in the West Bank the day before, a gunman has killed at least seven people close to a synagogue in an Israeli settlement in occupied East Jerusalem before being fatally shot.
The Magen David Adom rescue service reported that it was treating 10 injured people after Friday’s incident, some of whom were in severe condition.
James Bays of Al Jazeera reported from the scene of the incident in the illegal Israeli settlement of Neve Yaakov, saying, “What we believe happened was a car drew up at the front of a synagogue, a gunman got out and began fire.”
According to Bays, “the numbers we now have indicate seven deaths,” and police have stated that the suspect has no prior “security record.”
There was no immediate admission of guilt. Ten victims with gunshot wounds were recorded by the emergency response organization, including a 14-year-old boy and a 70-year-old man. Several victims were shown on television being treated by emergency personnel while they were laying on the street outside the synagogue.
A student living next to the synagogue, Matanel Almalem, 18, told the AFP news agency, “I heard a lot of bullets.”
According to a previous police statement, there had been a “terror incident in a synagogue in Jerusalem” and “the shooting terrorist was neutralised [killed].” Later, according to the police, the suspect was a Jerusalem resident aged 21.
After a deadly Israeli raid on the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, the attack happened the next day. After hundreds of Israeli soldiers attacked a home they claimed had potential fighters, nine Palestinians—including an elderly woman—were slain. This sparked several hours of heated clashes.
Israeli forces also shot a 22-year-old Palestinian man on Thursday in al-Ram, a town north of Jerusalem. After that, Gaza fighters launched rockets, and Israel conducted midnight airstrikes, although the exchange was brief. a typical response
Speaking on behalf of the Palestinian group Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, Hazem Qassem told the news agency Reuters that the attack on Friday was “a retaliation to the crime performed by the occupation in Jenin and a natural response to the occupation’s criminal deeds.”
The shooting wasn’t attributed to Qassam. In addition to praising the attack, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad did not claim responsibility for it.
Over the past year, Israeli military raids in the occupied West Bank have practically become routine, resulting in the deaths of at least 200 Palestinians, both militants and civilians.
In attacks by Palestinians in Israel and the occupied area, Israeli troops and civilians have also been killed. After burying the last of those killed by Israeli forces the day before, Palestinians marched in protest just hours before Friday’s gunfire.
All throughout the day, even during the funeral for the 22-year-old killed north of Jerusalem, fights broke out in the occupied West Bank between Israeli security forces and Palestinian protesters.
Both the flags of Hamas and Fatah, the political organization in charge of the Palestinian Authority, were waved by groups of Palestinians. Mask-wearing Palestinians hurled fireworks and stones at Israeli police in al-Ram, who then retaliated with tear gas.
Additionally, the violence has escalated just a few days before US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is scheduled to visit Israel and the West Bank. The White House issued a statement on Friday in which it stated that it “strongly condemns the horrible terror assault that took place this evening at a synagogue in Jerusalem” and expressed shock and sadness over the deaths.
Netanyahu calls a security cabinet meeting. Itamar Ben-Gvir, the far-right National Security Minister of Israel, paid a quick visit to the scene of the incident in East Jerusalem. He declared, “We must intervene; the situation cannot continue this way.
Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, told reporters at the national police headquarters that he had conducted a security assessment and made a decision on “urgent actions.”
After the Sabbath was over on Saturday, he declared he would meet with his security cabinet to determine a follow-up action. Netanyahu stayed mum on details but assured everyone that Israel will act “determinately and calmly.”
Additionally, he urged the populace to refrain from enforcing the law themselves.
The incident, which left eight people dead in a Jewish seminary in 2008, was the bloodiest for Israelis since then, according to Israel’s foreign ministry.
Months of unrest in the occupied West Bank have increased worries that the unpredictable conflict may get out of hand and lead to a larger clash between Palestine and Israel.
Since Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007, Israel and the organization have engaged in four wars and a number of smaller clashes. Since Israel increased its operations in the occupied West Bank last March, hostilities have risen.