Two hurt as Palestinian gunman opens fire in Jerusalem

A Palestinian gunman fired shots at a vehicle in the Sheikh Jarrah area of East Jerusalem yesterday, wounding two people, Israeli emergency services said.

The two Israeli men were treated for gunshot wounds, Israeli media reported.

The police are searching for the suspected attacker, who fled on foot.

“Officers are at the scene, conducting searches for the suspect, who fled the scene,” police said.

Israeli security forces closed off streets in the neighbourhood where officers entered a Palestinian home, AFP reported. A drone, helicopter and police dogs aided the search.

Officers enforcing the shutdown prevented cars and people from moving in the centre of the neighbourhood, as heavily armed forces combed the area looking for the attacker.

Police announced they had found the perpetrator’s gun near the scene of the attack, which took place near the tomb of Simeon the Just – Shimon Hatzadik in Hebrew. It is a site frequented by religious Jews.

The weapon was identified as a Carlo makeshift submachine gun, which can be manufactured in small workshops in the West Bank by Palestinian groups.

Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem said it received a 48-year-old gunshot victim in moderate condition, and Shaare Zedek medical centre said it was treating a man in his 50s, also moderately wounded.

Sheikh Jarrah was the focal point of protests against the eviction of Palestinian residents by Israeli settler organisations in the buildup to and during the May 2021 war between Israel and Gaza militants.

Yesterday’s incident occurred after weeks of violence that escalated in a month where the Jewish Passover holiday took place during Ramadan.

Tensions in the occupied West Bank soared after Israeli police broke into Al Aqsa compound, home to Al Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam.

Israeli police ejected Palestinians who had locked themselves in a prayer hall.

Video footage of heavily armed police beating Palestinians caused outrage in the Arab world.

The raids led to rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip, southern Lebanon and Syria, to which Israel responded with air and artillery raids.

At least 92 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks this year. At least half of them were affiliated with militant groups, according to AP. Palestinian attacks against Israelis have killed at least 20.

This year’s violence looks set to make 2023 the deadliest year in decades, exceeding last year, which was the bloodiest since 2005.