Terror in Jerusalem: Five hit in car-ramming attack, one in serious condition

Five people were wounded, one seriously, in an attack outside Jerusalem’s Mahane Yehuda market just hours before Yom Hazikaron. The terrorist was killed.

By World Israel News Staff

Five people were injured in a car-ramming attack in central Jerusalem Monday afternoon, just hours before Israelis marked the beginning of Yom HaZikaron – Memorial Day for fallen soldiers and victims of terror.

The attack occurred on Jaffa Street, just outside the entrance to the Mahane Yehuda outdoor market, when a vehicle plowed into pedestrians, running down three people.

All of the wounded were transferred to Jerusalem hospitals. A man of about 70 is suffering serious head and limb injuries and is unconscious.

Emergency first responders from Magen David Adom and United Hatzalah were dispatched to the scene to treat the victims and evacuate them to local hospitals.

“When we arrived on scene, we saw an approximately 70 year old male lying on the road semi-conscious near the ramming vehicle. We performed medical checks and saw that he is suffering from head and limb injuries, we moved him to the MICU and rapidly evacuated him to Shaare Tzedek Hospital while undergoing treatment, in serious but stable condition,” said MDA medic Itai Giz.

“Due to the nature of the incident, United Hatzalah’s Psychotrauma and Crisis Response Unit is on its way to the scene to treat people suffering from emotional shock,” United Hatzalah volunteer EMT Tzvi Klein stated.

The terrorist was killed at the scene. He was identified as Hatem Nejima, a 39-year-old father of five and esident of the Arab neighborhood of Beit Safafa in eastern Jerusalem.

Large numbers of police officers have been deployed to the area amid unconfirmed reports of a second incident on the nearby Agripas Street.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was nearby at the time, delivering a Yom Hazikaron address.

“A few minutes ago, not far from here, there was an attempt to murder Israeli citizens. This terrorist attack, in this place, at this time, reminds us that the land of Israel and the State of Israel are acquired through many trials and tribulations.

“These terrorist attacks come with the expectation that they will overcome us and will uproot us from here, and if they could, they would murder us all. But they will not overcome us; we will overcome them. We have established an exemplary state with exemplary army and police, at a heart-rending price.”