Jerusalem was rocked Saturday morning by a second round of shootings less than 24 hours after two days of escalating violence in Israeli and Palestinian territories.
Police said a 13-year-old resident of East Jerusalem shot a father and son near the historic Old City before being “incapacitated and wounded.” Israeli emergency services said two victims were hospitalized with upper body injuries.
The shootings in the Silwan district came hours after Palestinian gunmen shot dead seven Israelis and wounded three more near a synagogue on the outskirts of Jerusalem on Friday.
The two shootings, following the deadliest Israeli airstrike in years in the occupied West Bank and a shootout between the Israeli Air Force and militants in Gaza, have brought the simmering Israeli-Palestinian conflict to an end. It raised concerns that it could escalate into a wider conflict.
The outburst of violence is the first big test Benjamin Netanyahu’s Hardline New Government, widely viewed as the most right-wing in Israeli history. It took office in December and promised to put ultranationalists in senior security posts, tighten security and take a tougher stance against Palestinians.
Prime Minister Netanyahu said Israel’s response to the shootings was “strong, swift and precise” ahead of a security cabinet meeting on Saturday night, urging civilians to “take the law into their own hands”. I urged him not to.
“Anyone who tries to harm us, we harm them and everyone who supports them,” he said, adding that his government has accelerated the demolition of the attackers’ homes. He also proposed accelerating the licensing of weapons to “authorized civilians” and revoking national insurance rights from “family members who support terrorism.”
“We are not looking for escalation, but we are prepared for every scenario,” he said.
Police said the first shooting occurred on Holocaust Remembrance Day when worshipers were leaving a synagogue in the Jewish settlement of Neve Yaakov, and a 21-year-old East Jerusalem resident is believed to have acted alone. I’m here. .
On Saturday morning, police detained 42 people, including the shooter’s family members, in connection with the shooting and are investigating whether they had any connection or previous knowledge of the attack.
Security in Jerusalem would be strengthened, they added, but the army deployed three additional battalions to the West Bank, which forms most of the Palestinian territory but has been occupied by Israel since 1967. said that he is
Palestinian extremist groups have praised the first attack, but have not claimed responsibility for either attack. Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said this was a “natural reaction to the criminal actions of the occupying forces”.
Tensions between Israel and Palestine have been escalating for months, with nightly clashes last year between Israeli security forces and Palestinian militants in the West Bank, and the final conflict between Israel and militants in Gaza. 190 Palestinians and 31 Israelis were killed in 56-hour clashes. August.
But last week they escalated dramatically. On Thursday, Israeli special forces killed nine Palestinians in a raid on the Jenin refugee camp.
In response, Islamic Jihad militants in Gaza fired rockets into Israel on Thursday night. This has prompted Israel to bomb targets in coastal enclaves that have been blockaded by Israel and Egypt since the Hamas militant group took power in 2007. Neither side suffered casualties. has not been reported.
In another incident on Friday night, Palestinian media said three Palestinians were hospitalized after being shot by Israeli settlers near Nablus in the northern West Bank.
Palestinian officials said Thursday night they were canceling security cooperation with Israel in response to the attacks on Jenin, prompting US officials to reverse the decision.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is scheduled to visit Israel and the West Bank next week as part of a pre-planned regional visit. CIA Director William Burns was also visiting on Friday.
A spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “deeply concerned” about the escalating violence, condemning Friday’s shooting. A spokeswoman said: “Now is the time to exercise maximum restraint.
