Palestinian attackers opened fire at a bus stop at a busy intersection in north Jerusalem on Monday, killing six people and injuring another 12, according to Israeli police, emergency rescue services and local hospitals.
Police said the attackers shot people waiting at a bus stop, while Israeli media reported the attackers also boarded a bus and opened fire inside.
A security officer and a civilian shot the attackers soon after the incident began halted the attack. Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the status of the attackers or their identity.
Deadly shooting attack at Jerusalem bus stop
The shooting took place at a major intersection at the northern entrance to Jerusalem, on a road that leads to Jewish settlements located in east Jerusalem.
Footage of the attack showed dozens of people fleeing from a bus stop at the busy intersection during the morning rush hour. Paramedics who responded to the scene said the area was chaotic and covered in broken glass, with people wounded and lying unconscious on the road and a sidewalk near the bus stop.
It was not immediately clear who carried out the shooting or what was the motive. Palestinian militant group Hamas praised two Palestinian"resistance fighters" who it said had carried out the attack but it stopped short of claiming responsibility.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived at the scene some two hours after the shooting. Netanyahu was supposed to be in court on Monday for his ongoing corruption trial, which was delayed due to the security situation. He warned that Israel is “fighting a war on multiple fronts," including both Gaza, the West Bank, and Israel.
Netanyahu also praised the soldier who killed the attacker, who was from a newly-formed unit for ultra-Orthodox soldiers.
Hundreds of security forces arrived at the scene to search for additional attackers or explosives that could have been planted around the area. The Israeli military said it is encircling Palestinian villages on the outskirts of the nearby West Bank city of Ramallah as it steps up defense in response to the attack.
France"strongly condemns" the shooting attack Monday, President Emmanuel Macron said, offering his condolences to the victims and the Israeli people.
"France strongly condemns the terrorist attack that has just occurred in East Jerusalem", Macron said on X.
"The spiral of violence must come to an end. Only a political solution will bring back peace and stability for all in the region," he added.
War in Gaza
The war in Gaza has sparked a surge of violence in both the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Israel. Palestinian militants have attacked and killed Israelis in Israel and the West Bank, while there has also been a rise in settler violence against Palestinians.
While there have been scattered attacks over the past months in Israel, the last deadly mass shooting attack was in October 2024, when two Palestinians from the West Bank opened fire on a major boulevard and light rail station in the Tel Aviv area, killing seven people and leaving many others wounded. Hamas’ military wing claimed responsibility for the attack.
According to police, the two men opened fire in the Jaffa neighborhood of Tel Aviv, including shooting directly into a light rail carriage crowded with passengers that was stopped at a station.
Data from the UN’s humanitarian office says at least 49 Israelis were killed by Palestinians in Israel or the West Bank between the start of the war and July 2025.
In that time, Israeli forces and civilians killed at least 968 Palestinians in Israel and the West Bank.
