The fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas came close to breaking down after a pair of gunmen opened fire at a busy bus stop in Jerusalem on Thursday, killing three people and wounding at least eight.
The attackers, two brothers aligned with Palestinian causes, struck at 7:40 a.m. local time in the first attack on Israeli civilians since the October 7 terrorist attack by Hamas against Israel.
The attack occurred less than an hour after the truce between Israel expired at 7 a.m. However, it was extended by 24 hours just minutes before its expiration after agreements were reached for the exchange of Palestinian hostages and prisoners.
The bloodshed at the bus stop was captured on surveillance video, which showed a white sedan pulling up to a crowded bus station at the entrance to the city.
The two men brandishing weapons jumped out and charged into the crowd as terrified people ran for their lives.
Israeli rescuers inspect the scene after the shooting that killed at least three people on November 30, 2023. AFP via Getty Images Members of the Israeli security forces at the bus stop after the shooting on November 30, 2023. AFP via Getty Images
“The terrorists arrived at the scene by car in the morning, armed with an M-16 rifle and a pistol,” Israeli police confirmed.
“The terrorists began shooting at civilians before being killed on the spot.”
The gunmen were detained by two off-duty soldiers and another civilian who was nearby, according to local media.
Israeli media described the victims as two women, ages 24 and 67, and a 74-year-old rabbi.
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Israel’s national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, visited the site of the shooting and told reporters that this “demonstrates once again that we must not show weakness, that we must talk to Hamas only through the [rifle] achievements, only through war.”
The attack also took place on the same day that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken landed in the city for talks with Israeli leaders.
Israeli rescuers placed the body of one of the victims on a stretcher at the scene of the shooting on November 30, 2023. AFP via Getty Images Israeli police shared a photo of the weapons used in the shooting that left three dead and eight wounded . . Israel Police / Facebook Israeli security forces stand next to a car allegedly used during the attack on November 30, 2023. AFP via Getty Images
Israel’s Shin Bet security agency named the attackers as Palestinian brothers Murad Nemer, 38, and Ibrahim Nemer, 30, who lived in East Jerusalem and were members of Hamas.
Both had previously been imprisoned in Israel for “terrorist activities.” Murad had served 10 years in prison and was released in 2020, the agency said.
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The attack occurred nearly 50 miles from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, where the Israel Defense Forces concentrated its efforts following the October 7 attack.
Spectators watch as a vehicle used in the attack is removed in Jerusalem, November 30, 2023. AFP via Getty Images
Asked whether the attack had violated the ceasefire, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said: “This attack occurred in Jerusalem. The pauses in fighting were specific to Gaza… They did not technically violate the current agreement. Obviously, it’s a stark reminder of who they’re up against.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also addressed the shooting and reiterated his government’s commitment to ending Hamas.
“It is the same Hamas that carried out the horrible massacre of October 7, the same Hamas that tries to murder us everywhere,” Netanyahu said, shortly after meeting him in Jerusalem. “Said [Blinken]: ‘We swore, I swore, to eradicate Hamas. Nothing will stop us'”.
A man reacts at the scene of the shooting as the car suspected of being involved is taken away. AFP via Getty Images
Hamas confirmed it was behind Thursday’s attack in Jerusalem, calling it a “heroic” act.
“The operation emerged as a natural response to unprecedented crimes committed by the Occupation. [Israel]“the group said in a statement, citing the military offensive in Gaza and the treatment of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
Blinken, on his third visit to the region since the war broke out last month, said Thursday’s shooting was a reminder “of the threat of terrorism that Israel and Israelis face every day… My heart goes out to the victims of this attack.”
The deadly attack came as Israel and Hamas reached a last-minute deal to extend their six-day ceasefire in Gaza by another day to allow negotiators to continue working on deals to exchange hostages for Palestinian prisoners.
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