A Palestinian gunman opened fire in east Jerusalem on Saturday, wounding at least two people less than a day after another attacker killed seven outside a synagogue in the deadliest attack in the city since 2008.
The shooting near the historic Old City of Jerusalem wounded at least two men, aged 23 and 47, in their upper bodies, paramedics said.
They were fully conscious and in moderate to serious condition in the hospital, the medics added. There was no immediate word on the condition of the attacker.
It marked the latest major escalation in one of the bloodiest months in Israel and the occupied West Bank in several years.
On Friday, a Palestinian gunman killed at least seven people outside an east Jerusalem synagogue, including a 70-year-old woman.
Israeli police had launched a security crackdown early on Saturday following the attack near the synagogue.
They fanned out into the gunman’s neighbourhood of At-Tur in east Jerusalem and arrested 42 family members, neighbours and others close to him for questioning.
Police Chief Kobi Shabtai beefed up security forces and instructed police to work 12-hour shifts, the statements said, urging the public to call a hotline if they see anything suspicious.
The earlier Friday attack, which occurred as residents were observing the Jewish sabbath, came a day after an Israeli military raid killed nine Palestinians in the West Bank.
Friday’s shooting set off celebrations in both the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, where people fired guns into the air, honked 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, which is dominated by ultranationalists who have pushed for a hard line against Palestinian violence.
It also cast a cloud over a visit by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to the region on Sunday.
Addressing reporters at Israel’s national police headquarters, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had held a security assessment and decided on “immediate actions”.
He said he would convene his Security Cabinet on Saturday night, after the end of the sabbath, to discuss a further response.
Mr Netanyahu declined to elaborate but said Israel would act with “determination and composure”.
He called on the public not to take the law into their own hands.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here