Ken Berwitz
A pair of Palestinian men boarded a bus in Jerusalem and began shooting and stabbing passengers, while another assailant rammed a car into a bus station before stabbing bystanders, in near-simultaneous attacks Tuesday that escalated a monthlong wave of violence. Three Israelis and one attacker were killed.
The Jerusalem attacks, along with two stabbings in a central Israeli city, marked the most serious outbreak of violence since the current round of tensions erupted. More than 15 people were wounded.
The violence, coming at a time when peace prospects appear bleak, have fueled a sense of panic in Israel and raised fears that the region is on the cusp of a new round of heavy violence.
At least three people were killed and more than a dozeninjured in a series of stabbing and shooting attacks in Israel on Tuesday,officials said, as the wave of recent violence showed no signs of abating.
Hamas praised the attacks and called their perpetrators”heroes” as Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat called on the Israeligovernment to “immediately implement drastic measures” to ensure thesafety of the city\’s residents as the death toll from near-daily violenceclimbed.
The recent uptick in tensions appears to stem largely fromgrowing Palestinian fears that Israel is trying to limit access to, or evendestroy, one of Islam\’s holiest sites – the al-Aqsa mosque complex.
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri on Tuesday referenced thatdispute in praising the “heroic operations in Jerusalem” and theheroes who carried them out.
“These continuing operations in Jerusalem and the WestBank are a message to all those who presume to offend al-Aqsa mosque,” hetold NBC News. “The Palestinian people will not remain silent againstoppression and is ready to make a sacrifice in order to defend Jerusalem andal-Aqsa.”
