Gunmen Open Fire on Bus and Pedestrians in Jerusalem, Killing Six

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — Six people were killed and at least 12 others wounded, six of them seriously, when two Palestinian gunmen opened fire on vehicles and pedestrians in Jerusalem’s Ramot Junction on Monday morning, according to The Times of Israel.

The attackers, identified as residents of the West Bank, arrived at the junction shortly after 10 a.m. and began shooting at passengers waiting at a bus stop and at a bus that had just halted there. Police confirmed that the assailants were quickly shot dead by an off-duty Israeli soldier and armed civilians present at the scene.

The soldier was later identified as a squad commander in the Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) newly established Hasmonean Brigade, a unit for ultra-Orthodox troops.

Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel’s emergency medical service, reported that four victims were declared dead at the scene while two others succumbed to their wounds after being rushed to hospital. The fatalities were named as Levi Yitzhak Pash, Yaakov Pinto, 25, Yisrael Matzner, 28, and Rabbi Yosef David, 43.

Authorities said the attackers had used improvised Carlo-style submachine guns, a type frequently produced in illegal West Bank workshops and previously employed in other attacks. Security forces also recovered a knife and ammunition.

The IDF subsequently encircled the gunmen’s home villages of Al-Qubeiba and Qatanna, near Ramallah, as part of ongoing operations to search for possible accomplices.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the scene alongside National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and MK Zvi Sukkot, later entering the bullet-riddled number 62 bus targeted in the assault.

“A mighty war against terror is taking place on all fronts,” Netanyahu said, vowing to pursue and encircle the villages from which the attackers came. 

He pledged that Israel would “destroy Hamas as we promised and free our hostages — all of our hostages,” while stressing that such acts of violence would not deter Israel’s mission in Jerusalem and the West Bank.

Ben Gvir defended his controversial policy of expanding firearm licenses for civilians, insisting, “Weapons save lives.” Both he and Netanyahu praised the off-duty soldier whose swift response neutralized the gunmen.

Witnesses described scenes of chaos and terror as shots rang out and passengers scrambled to safety. Malka Cohen, who was inside the number 62 bus when the attackers opened fire, recalled:

“The bus was packed… The moment the driver opened the door, terrorists came. It was terrible… There was gunfire beyond anything imaginable.”

Hamas praised the attack as a “heroic operation” but stopped short of claiming direct responsibility. The group described the assault as a “natural response to the occupation’s crimes” and urged Palestinians in the West Bank to escalate confrontations with Israeli forces.

The attack forced Netanyahu to skip a scheduled court appearance in his ongoing corruption trial, with his lawyers citing “severe security incidents” requiring his immediate attention. Later in the day, he held a situational assessment with Israel’s security chiefs. Police temporarily blocked Route 1 through the Arazim Tunnel to eastbound traffic as emergency operations unfolded. 

Monday’s assault was the deadliest in Jerusalem since November 2023, when two Palestinian gunmen killed four people and wounded five others at the city’s main entrance near the Givat Shaul neighborhood. 

The Ramot Junction area has also witnessed previous attacks, including a February 2023 car-ramming that killed two people, among them a six-year-old boy, and left several others injured.

The use of improvised firearms such as Carlo guns remains a recurring feature in attacks, highlighting ongoing challenges faced by Israeli security forces in curbing weapons manufacturing in the West Bank.

Meanwhile, the attack underscores the volatile security situation as Israel continues its military campaign in Gaza while dealing with heightened tensions across Jerusalem and the West Bank.