A gunman has opened fire at a bus stop in Jerusalem, leaving three people fighting for their lives in hospital and wounding several.
Gunfire was heard in the Old City early on Sunday as a group of Israelis were waiting in a car park near the Western Wall, considered the holiest site for Jews to pray.
The attacker waited for the bus's arrival and fired the shots while passengers were boarding, before fleeing on foot, according to The Times of Israel.
Those wounded in the attack included a 35-year-old pregnant woman who was shot while sitting in a nearby car, Hebrew media reported.
No one has claimed responsibility however the shooting comes amid heightened tensions between Israel and Palestinians.
“The bus was full, jam-packed. I stopped at a bus stop at King David’s Tomb and then I heard gunfire, people started yelling, people were hurt inside the bus,” the bus driver, Daniel Kanievsky, told Hebrew media outlets.
Last weekend, Israeli aircraft unleashed an offensive in the Gaza Strip which they said wastargeting the militant group Islamic Jihad. It set off three days of fierce cross-border fighting.
Islamic Jihad fired hundreds of rockets during the flare-up to avenge the airstrikes, which killed two of its commanders and other militants
Prime Minister Yair Lapid was briefed overnight on the attack, his office said Sunday morning.
“The security forces… are working to get the despicable terrorist and will not stop until he is caught. Let all those who wish us evil know that they will pay a price for any harming of civilians,” Lapid said in a statement.
