Seven Israelis killed in East Jerusalem settlement shooting
At least seven people were killed and 3 others were wounded in a shooting in occupied East Jerusalem on Friday, according to Israeli police and medics.
The shooter, who the police said was a 21-year-old Palestinian resident of East Jerusalem, was also shot dead.
Israeli police said he arrived by car at around 8:15 pm local time outside a building used as a synagogue in the settlement of Neve Yaakov. He then opened fire at people in the area before fleeing the scene on foot and encountered police forces. He died in an exchange of fire with police officers.
Jerusalem District Police Commander Doron Turgeman told reporters at the scene that the shooter acted alone, according to the Times of Israel.
Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir arrived at the scene of the shooting and was met with both support and indignation.
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An assessment meeting was set to be chaired by Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with top security officials.
The office of Israel's Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said he was heading back to the country from the United States where he was on a personal trip.
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres said he was "deeply worried" by the escalation of violence in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory, and urged for restraint.
The White House issued a statement saying that US President Joe Biden has strongly condemned the attack and directed his national security team to offer assistance to their Israeli counterparts.
State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters during a news briefing that Washington did not expect changes to Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to Israel next week.
Israeli settlers moved to Neve Yaakov following the occupation of the city by Israeli forces in 1967. Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem are considered illegal under international law.
The shooting on Friday comes a day after Israeli forces killed 10 Palestinians in the West Bank, nine of them during a large-scale raid in the Jenin refugee camp.
Israeli troops have killed 30 people this month in a sign of continued growing violence against Palestinians.
Last year, more Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank and East Jerusalem than in any single calendar year since the Second Intifada.
At least 220 people died in Israeli attacks across the occupied territories in 2022, including 48 children. Of the total death toll, 167 were from the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and 53 were from the Gaza Strip.
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