Israel: person killed in gun attack in Jerusalem, assailant shot dead

Published on : 11/21/2021 – 10:46

One person was killed and three injured in a gun attack on Sunday (November 21) in the Old City of Jerusalem, Israeli authorities said, adding that the assailant was killed.

Jerusalem’s Hadassah Hospital said a 30-year-old died of his injuries, while Israeli police confirmed the assailant’s death “neutralized” by law enforcement.

The authorities did not immediately specify the identity of the victims and the assailant in this rare gun attack in the Old City of Jerusalem, the scene of knife attacks carried out by Palestinian assailants against Israeli security forces.

“At around 9 a.m. local time (7 a.m. GMT), an armed terrorist opened fire in the Old City of Jerusalem. Two civilians were seriously injured and two policemen were slightly injured,” police said before the announcement of the death. of one of the four injured.

Tensions in East Jerusalem

An AFP journalist on the spot heard gunshots and screams. Immediately after the attack, large numbers of police were deployed to the Old Town, where the assailant’s body remained inert on the ground for a long time.

Last Wednesday, a 16-year-old Palestinian stabbed two members of the Israeli forces in the Old City of Jerusalem, before being shot and killed by police.

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Clashes then erupted between Palestinian residents and Israeli forces in the Issawiya neighborhood in East Jerusalem, where the young assailant was from. And tensions have remained high in the area in recent days, according to police and witnesses.

Some 200,000 Israelis live in East Jerusalem, the eastern part of the city occupied by Israel, also home to 300,000 Palestinians. Israeli colonization is illegal under international law.

With AFP