Two men shot and wounded by terrorist in eastern Jerusalem on Holocaust Remembrance Day; manhunt for shooter is ongoing.
By World Israel News Staff
Two Israeli men were shot and wounded by a terrorist with an improvised machine gun as they drove through the eastern Jerusalem Shimon HaTzadik (Sheikh Jarrah) neighborhood on Tuesday morning.
According to Hebrew language media, the two men, aged 48 and 50, were en route to morning prayers at a nearby synagogue when they were targeted by the terrorist.
“They continued driving and stopped near a police car and reported the incident to them,” MDA medic Nir Buzaglo told Hebrew language media.
“We arrived at the scene quickly… one of the victims was lying on the road and the other was walking nearby, they were fully conscious and suffered from gunshot wounds to their upper bodies,” he said.
The victims, who are hospitalized at two different Jerusalem hospitals, are both currently listed as being in stable condition.
At press time, police were searching for the assailant, who fled the scene without being apprehended.
Near the scene of the shooting, authorities found a “Carlo” submachine gun – an improvised machine gun often used in Palestinian terror attacks, which is assembled in illegal workshops in Arab enclaves within Judea and Samaria.
The weapon is compact and can be easily hidden on a terrorist’s person, without attracting attention.
Tuesday’s attack occurred as Israel observes Yom HaShoah, a national day of mourning for the victims of the Holocaust.
Last night, as the memorial day began, terrorists near Jenin fired across the Green Line towards Kibbutz Merav, striking several homes. No casualties were reported.
Earlier in the day on Monday, a female terrorist stabbed an Israeli man waiting at a bus stop in Gush Etzion. She was shot in the leg by soldiers stationed nearby.
The victim, a father of three, underwent surgery at a Jerusalem hospital and is expected to survive.