A Palestinian gunman opened fire outside an east Jerusalem synagogue Friday night, killing seven people, including a 70-year-old woman, and wounding three others before police shot and killed him, officials said.
It was the deadliest attack on Israelis in years and raised the likelihood of further bloodshed.
The attack, which took place as worshippers were celebrating the Jewish Sabbath, came a day after an Israeli military raid killed nine people in the West Bank. The new attack set off public celebrations in both the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, where people fired guns into the air, honked car horns, and distributed sweets.
The burst of violence, which also included a rocket barrage from Gaza and retaliatory Israeli airstrikes, has posed an early challenge for Israel’s new government.
Israeli police said the attack occurred in Neve Yaakov, a Jewish area in east Jerusalem.
Jerusalem police chief Doron Turjeman told reporters the shooter was killed after trying to escape. He confirmed seven deaths, in addition to the shooter, and said three people were wounded.
Police identified the attacker as a 21-year-old east Jerusalem resident who apparently acted alone. Turjeman promised an “aggressive and significant” effort to track down anyone who had helped him.
In Washington, the White House released a statement condemning the attack, noting it took place on International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
“We strongly condemn the heinous terror attack that took place this evening at a synagogue in Jerusalem and are shocked and saddened by the loss of life, including the killing of at least eight innocent victims,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in the statement.
“The attack tragically occurred on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, when the memory of those lost in the Holocaust is commemorated around the world. The United States will extend our full support to the Government and people of Israel,” the statement continued.
“Accordingly, the President has directed his national security team to engage immediately with Israeli counterparts to offer all appropriate support in assisting the wounded and bringing the perpetrators of this horrible crime to justice,” the statement concluded.
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