At least three Israelis were killed and six others injured after Palestinian gunmen opened fire at a bus stop in Jerusalem on Thursday in the midst of an uneasy truce between Israel and Hamas since the beginning of a devastating war that broke out on October 7. Police informed that the attackers arrived in a vehicle and opened fire on people at the bus stop.
"At around 7:40 am (local time) two Palestinian gunmen got out of a vehicle on Weizman Street at the main entrance to the capital and opened fire at people at a bus stop," said the police, adding that two people sustained serious injuries. The gunmen were killed in returning fire by two off-duty officers and an armed civilian.
Videos circulating on social media showed some people waiting at the bus stop when the gunmen arrived and suddenly opened fire. The people started to flee in different directions as the attackers fired indiscriminately.
According to Shin Bet, Israel's internal security agency, the two attackers were identified as Murad Namr, 38, and Ibrahim Namr, 30, from East Jerusalem. "The pair were Hamas members and previously jailed for terror activity", the agency said.
Murad was jailed between 2010 and 2020 for planning terror attacks under directions of terror elements in the Gaza Strip and Ibrahim was jailed in 2014 for undisclosed terror activity, the Shin Bet further said. They initiated the attack on Thursday morning with an M-16 assault rifle and a handgun. The police found large amounts of ammunition in their vehicle after the attack.
A 24-year-old woman was found dead at the scene by medics, while an elderly man and a woman among the eight others injured were declared dead at the hospital. Two of the wounded were listed in serious condition. Notably, the bus stop was the scene of a deadly bomb attack almost exactly a year ago.
Israel-Hamas truce extended again
The attack occurred while the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) on Thursday said that the temporary truce with Hamas, which was extended by two days on Monday, will continue for another day in light of mediating efforts to continue the release of hostages, a day after Hamas released 16 more captives from the Gaza Strip.
The truce was set to expire Thursday morning. Negotiations on extending it came down to the wire, with last-minute disagreements over the hostages to be freed by Hamas in exchange for another day of a halt in fighting. The Qatari Foreign Ministry said the truce was being extended under the same terms as in the past, under which Hamas has released 10 Israeli hostages per day in exchange for 30 Palestinian prisoners.
In a press release, the PMO said, "Pursuant to receiving the list of hostages slated to be released today (November 30), the families have been notified".
On Wednesday, Hamas released 10 Israeli women and children along with four Thai nationals, who returned to Israel and were taken to hospitals. Two Russian-Israeli women were freed by Hamas separately. Later, Israel released Palestinian prisoners, expected to number 30 as per the terms of the truce agreement.
(with inputs from agencies)
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