Shooting attack near Jerusalem: 6 Israelis killed and 12 wounded after 2 terrorists open fire

This is a developing story.

Six Israelis were killed and 12 others were wounded, including 6 in serious condition, after two terrorists opened fire at Ramot Junction, near the entrance to the capital Jerusalem, on Monday morning.

The terrorists began shooting at buses and passersby, managing to hit at least fifteen people before they were shot and killed by a nearby armed civilian and a commander in the IDF's Haredi Hasmonean Brigade.

According to the Magen David Adom rescue service, its medics were providing “medical treatment and evacuating five individuals in serious condition, suffering from gunshot wounds, to hospitals in Jerusalem. Additional casualties at the scene are being treated for varying degrees of injuries.”

Over the next hours, MDA announced that five of the wounded had succumbed to their injuries.

Around an hour after the attack, MDA updated that in addition to those killed, seven people were seriously wounded, while two suffered moderate and three suffered light wounds.

Avi Suissa, medic and spokesman for the ultra-Orthodox sector in the United Hatzalah rescue service, told news outlets, “I was driving through the intersection when I heard the sounds of gunfire. It’s a very severe scene. Some of the victims are unconscious.”

He added that “Large United Hatzalah teams are operating at the scene to provide initial medical assistance to the injured.”

According to Army Radio, the attack occurred during an unusually large traffic jam at the junction.

An eyewitness told the outlet that the shooting occurred in one of the buses that were stuck in the jam. The attackers reportedly entered a bus of line number 62 and opened fire at the passengers, before continuing to shoot outside the bus until they themselves were killed.

MDA paramedic Nadav Tayeb recounted, “We saw people lying on the road unconscious, on the sides of the street and the sidewalk near a bus stop. There was extensive destruction at the scene, shattered glass all over the ground.”

President Isaac Herzog commented on the attack saying, "A painful and difficult morning. Innocent civilians, women, men, and children were brutally murdered and wounded in cold blood on a bus in Jerusalem by vile and evil terrorists."

"In the face of this barbarity, we saw extraordinary acts of heroism which prevented even further loss of innocent lives. This shocking attack reminds us once again that we are fighting absolute evil. The world must understand what we are up against, and that terror will never defeat us."

Following the attack, all crossings from Israel into Judea and Samaria in the Jerusalem Envelope area were closed, Army Radio reported. The terrorists were Palestinians from the area of Ramallah and infiltrated Israel before the attack, the outlet said.

The IDF reportedly held joint situational assessments with the Israel Police to clarify the details and identify the perpetrators.

The military also deployed four additional companies to the area to search for potential helpers, and to encircle four villages in the Ramallah district "to thwart terrorism and strengthen the defense effort."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also convened a security assessment with the heads of the defense establishment following the terror attack in Jerusalem, the Prime Minister's Office stated. Afterward, he attended the scene of the attack to receive a briefing on the ground.

Only this year, Israeli security forces already thwarted over 550 shooting attacks and over 450 explosive device attacks, Army Radio said.

Hamas didn't take responsibility but praised the shooting attack, saying it was "a natural response to the crimes of the occupation" and a clear message that Israel’s alleged plans, like the destruction of Gaza City and the desecration of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, would not go unanswered.