At least six people were killed and 11 others wounded Thursday when two gunmen opened fire at a bus stop in Jerusalem, in what Israeli authorities described as a terrorist attack.
The shooting unfolded at Ramot Junction, in Jerusalem, a busy intersection near the entrance to Israel’s capital, according to the Wall Street Journal. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said the attackers were Palestinians from the West Bank. Both men were shot dead at the scene by armed civilians and a soldier, according to police.
Terrorist Attack in Jerusalem. Hamas has claimed responsibility.
— Incognito (@Incognito_qfs) September 8, 2025
5 dead, 7 serious, 2 moderate, and 3 light injuries.
Now, Netanyahu will take action against Hamas.
Also get ready for posts by Arfa and Swara condemning Israel's action against Hamas. pic.twitter.com/3L7szmUTSF
No group has claimed responsibility. But Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, two U.S.-designated terrorist organizations, issued statements praising the attackers and calling them “resistance fighters.”
In response, the Israeli military began surrounding several villages near Ramallah in the West Bank and announced it would send additional forces to the area.
“We are now engaged in pursuit and are cordoning off the villages from which the murderers came,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. “We will apprehend whoever aided and dispatched them, and we will take even stronger steps.”
The Palestinian Authority (PA), who govern the West Bank, condemned the attack and any targeting of Palestinian or Israeli civilians.
Some Israeli lawmakers blamed the PA for the attack and called for revenge. The Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, wrote on X, “The villages where the terrorists came from should look like Rafah and Beit Hanoun,” two areas in Gaza that have been reduced to rubble amid the ongoing war between Hamas and Israel.
Israeli minister Bezalel Smotrich: “The Jerusalem terror attack is severe and horrific. The Palestinian Authority must disappear from the map, and the villages from which the terrorists came should look like Rafah and Beit Hanoun.” pic.twitter.com/OSQwueyRSu
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) September 8, 2025
The area in which the attack occurred, Ramot, is a largely ultra-Orthodox Jewish neighborhood in East Jerusalem. The Israeli military confirmed that one of the Israeli's who shot and killed the gunmen was a soldier from a new ultra-Orthodox unit in the military. Ultra-Orthodox Israeli's have historically avoided military service due to their religious practices. That precedent has begun to change amid an ongoing need for more soldiers.
This marks the latest terror attack inside Israel since last year’s shooting at a light rail station in Jaffa, where seven people were killed. Hamas later claimed responsibility.
This comes as Israeli forces press forward with a major offensive in Gaza City.