[EARLIER UPDATES BELOW]
08:52: Channel 2 News reports one of the terrorists involved in the attack was a resident of the Jabil Mukhaber neighborhood of the capital. His brother is currently serving a life sentence in an Israeli prison.
Hamas applauds the attack, calling it a “quality attack inside the capital to avenge the murder of the Egged driver”. It should be noted the autopsy of the Arab bus driver proved conclusively that he took his own life as the evidence at the scene indicated.
Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Dovid Lau Shlita calls on Muslim leaders to clearly condemn the murder and to stop the incitement.
08:25: Jerusalem hospitals are calling on the public to donate blood, especially Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital.
08:07: According to Nir D’vori, Channel 2 News correspondent, a total of four people were murdered in the attack R”L.
Two terrorists, residents of the eastern capital entered the shul armed with axes and at least one handgun. They opened fire and began swinging indiscriminately. Two policemen nearby heard the gunfire and ran over, engaging the terrorists. They got into a shootout and succeeded in killing the terrorists. One policeman was wounded, possibly seriously. It remains unclear.
At total of six people were transported to area hospitals. At least one is listed in serious condition.
07:58: Two of the seriously wounded were transported to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital trauma center. One seriously wounded victim was taken to the trauma unit of Shaare Zedek Hospital.
MDA reports the initial call came into the dispatch center shortly after 7AM. EMS units were on the scene in minutes.
It appears that once again, the terrorists were residents of the eastern capital, as has been the case in recent vehicular terror attacks.
07:46: MDA reports five persons in serious condition and four in moderate-to-serious condition. First on the scene was Hachovesh Har Nof which is the community based EMS unit connected to MDA.
It is now reported the terrorists were armed with at least one gun, knives and axes.
Ichud Hatzalah is reporting six bodies at the scene. It is believed two of them are the terrorists, but this is unconfirmed.
Police are not certain the area is secure. A third terrorist may have fled and still be at large in the community.
07:40: Police fear a third terrorist succeeded in fleeing the scene and is at large in the community. Residents are instructed to lock their doors and remain inside.
07:38: The attack occurred in Kehillas Bnei Torah. The mora d’asra is Rabbi Yitzchak Mordechai Rubin Shlita, the mechaber of the sefer Orchos Shabbos.
07:31: It is unknown if the dead are victims of the terrorists YS”VZ. At least three bodies are on the scene. Others are injured, apparently some in serious condition.
Terrorists entered the shul and someone reportedly fired at them. There is a great deal of confusion as police continue to secure the area which is a residential block in the heart of the chareidi community. It is entirely possible the terrorists entered with knives and axes and someone fired and that gunfire could have struck mispallalim. Once again, it is too early for confirmed information as police have not yet begun analyzing the scene. They want to be certain there are no more terrorists at large. It does appear two terrorists are among the dead on the scene.
The shul that was targeted is connected to the Yechavei Daas Shul where Maran HaGaon HaRav Ovadia Yosef ZT”L was mora d’asra.
07:28: There are reports of “numerous” dead and seriously injured in the shul. No more at this time.
07:23: According to numerous reliable but yet unconfirmed reports from the scene, there are a number of fatalities. It remains unclear if the dead are the shooters of victims.
07:17 IL: Police and EMS units are responding to a reported shooting incident in a shul located at 5 Agassi Street in the Har Nof neighborhood of Yerushalayim. It appears gunfire is still heard in the location at this time.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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11 Responses
WE MUST ALL DO SERIOUS TESHUVAH THERE IS NO JOKES RIGHT NOW WE SHOULD ALL ACCEPT UPON OUR SELF AT LEAST ONE THING TO CHANGE IF ITS IN DAVINING OR LEARNING ETC..
i live just down the street from this. we feel strongly that this is happening because jews are going to Har Habayis- even the Arabs are saying that is why they are attacking us
Shuni, Actually it is happening because Arabs are allowed to live in Israel.
Look #2, you could say whatever you want, but Arabs want to kill Jews no matter what. Any excuse is just whatever is convenient to say at the moment, but there will always be a different excuse. Har Habayis or no Har Habayis, it wouldn’t make a difference.
#2
that is a little overly simplistic
Still as Arafat said: the real battle is over the har habayis, everywhere else is [just] real estate
I seriously doubt that any of the mispallelim in this shul were going up to Har Habayis. If this happened in Yitzhar, maybe, but not in Har nof.
At least now, even the Shas MKs will join the war.
One thing is for sure. Har Habayis should be closed. No one should go, Muslim, Jew, no one. Close it. They just lost.
#7 Who are you talking to? There is no one at home in the Israeli government. They are all out to lunch. Anyway what would N Obama have to say about it not to mention the Jordanian king. The mistake was in 1967 when the whole thing was not blown up. It is realistically too late to now either close it or blow it up. The world has changed since then. The Jews are hated more than at any time since the 1930s and the sodomites are loved.
#2 I am confused. Arabs have been going to Har Habayis for decades and even stopped us davening there but we don’t go into mosques and massacre them.
Stop making excuses.
The most clear thing is like No. 1 said, “We must all do serious teshuva.” Hashem is talking to us (one person I said that to answered, “screaming”). Since it happened in a shul the first thing that comes to mind is to increase our awareness of the sanctity of shuls, not to speak in them unnecessarily and certainly not lashon horo, and to be aware that we’re in Hashem’s Presence in shul. (Not that I have any reason to suspect that that shul was in any way lacking, I just want to suggest a general lesson which nearly everyone can take to heart.)
Shuni, you have my deepest sympathies. I can’t imagine what it must feel like to be a resident of Har Nof today.
But please remember that Chmelnicki murdered Jews in their synagogues when there were no Jews on Har Habayit. And Hitler rounded up Jews from their synagogues when there were no Jews on Har Habayit. And Stalin closed down the synagogues when there were no Jews on Har Habayit.
And the people who perpetrated this act? They want you out of Har Nof as much as they want the Jews out of Har Habayit.
Let’s stop reinforcing the propaganda of the Arabs and the UN. Let’s stop blaming the victim.