Attack attributed to Hamas in Jerusalem leaves one dead and four wounded

A 35-year-old man was killed in a shooting attack in the Old City of Jerusalem. According to Israeli authorities, the operation was carried out by Hamas.

Four other people were injured, including a man in his 30s whose injuries are described as serious. The incident took place this Sunday morning (21) near the entrance to the Al-Aqsa mosque complex, also known as the Temple Mount.

The alleged assailant, who was using an improvised automatic weapon commonly known as a Carlo, police said was shot dead by police officers at the scene.

Israel’s Public Security Minister, Omar Bar Lev, said the sniper was from the Shuafat neighborhood in east Jerusalem and a member of the political wing of Hamas.

Hamas issued a statement identifying the sniper as Fadi Aby Shkayadam, calling him a heroic martyr and describing him as a local leader of the movement. The group even described the attack as “a response to attempts to desecrate the Al-Aqsa mosque.”

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett told ministers he was praying for the recovery of the wounded and instructed security forces to prepare for possible further attacks mimicking the first.

“We need to be on high alert and prevent future attacks,” he said at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting.

The incident comes four days after a 16-year-old Palestinian was shot dead after stabbing two Israeli border police in the Old City, police said.

(Translated text. Read the original here).