Less than 48 hours after the brutal massacre by Israeli occupation forces in Jenin, Palestinians avenged the brutal raid with two operations on Friday and Saturday in occupied Al-Quds, prompting the Israeli occupation to raise the so-called ‘national’ alert to its highest level.
Two shooting in Al-Quds killed at least seven Israelis and injured 12 others.
On Saturday morning, a Palestinian teen shot and wounded two Israelis outside Al-Quds (Jerusalem) Old City’s so-called David Street, police and medics said.
Israeli occupation police said the 13-year-old Palestinian was shot dead by two armed Israeli settlers, adding that the two injured Israelis suffered gunshot wounds to their upper bodies.
The Kan public broadcaster named the Palestinian attacker as Muhammad Aliyat from Silwan.
Israeli occupation police commissioner Kobi Shabtai ordered that a team of officers from the elite Yamam counterterrorism unit be stationed in Jerusalem following the two attacks, The Times of Israel reported.
Senior Israeli police officials told the Kan public broadcaster they would increase forces across the country, especially in the capital. In addition to the bolstering of police, IDF chief Herzi Halevi issued instructions to increase forces in the West Bank and along its security barrier, and to prepare for potential escalation in the region.
7 Killed in Synagogue Shooting
Earlier on Friday night, a resident from Al-Quds killed at least seven Israelis and injured at least ten others in a shooting near a synagogue in occupied Al-Quds (Jerusalem).
The Palestinian Kheiri Alqam, 21, arrived at the Neve Yaakov street shortly after 8 p.m. on Friday and opened fire at Israelis leaving the Ateret Avraham synagogue, the Jerusalem Post reported.
After entering and attacking the synagogue, the shooter reportedly started chasing after Israelis who were trying to escape. Israeli Channel 12 and The Times of Israel described the attack in Neve Yaakov as a “massacre.”
“Witnesses and first responders to Friday’s attack described panic, fear and confusion during and after the shooting,” The Times of Israel reported.
Alqam, who is from Shuafat refugee camp and resides in East Al-Quds, attempted to flee the scene of the attack by car and fired in the direction of Israeli occupation police officers who fired back and killed him.
Israeli media reported that the occupation police didn’t arrive at the scene for 20 minutes after the initial shots were fired.
The Jerusalem Post quoted one of the synagogue attendants as saying that the occupation police “didn’t believe the callers and thought the noise came from shots being fired in the air in nearby east Jerusalem neighborhoods.”
“One of Worst Attacks in Years”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking after visiting the scene of the attack, called it “one of the most severe we have known in years.”
“Our hearts are with the families. I commend the police officers who took action so quickly,” Netanyahu said, as quoted by The Times of Israel.
The Israeli PM said the occupation cabinet would convene on Saturday, adding, “We have decided on several immediate steps that will begin tonight.”
With seven Israelis killed, the shooting in Al-Quds was the deadliest attack since 2011, when militants crossed into occupied territories from Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, killing eight Israelis. It was the deadliest Palestinian attack since 2008, when a gunman from East Al-Quds killed eight Israeli students at the Mercaz Harav yeshiva in Al-Quds.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant said he was returning to the Zionist entity from an official visit following the deadly shooting, Ynet reported.
Galant said he “instructed the security system to be ready for more possible developments, and to bolster the forces in the Jerusalem area and around the West Bank settlements.”
The so-called ‘National Security’ Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also arrived at the scene of the attack, where he was met with anger from Israeli crowds on the side, who accused him of being responsible for the attack, yelling “we loved you, Itamar. We trusted you. This was on your watch.”
After bowing his head while listening to Israelis, Ben-Gvir called for a reform to Israeli gun laws, saying that more Israelis “should be able to carry guns.”
Watch: Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was met with cries of “This was on your watch” as he arrived at the scene of the shooting operation carried out this evening in occupied Jerusalem and resulted in the killing of at least 8 Israeli settlers. pic.twitter.com/txbwSV2M3O
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) January 27, 2023
Meanwhile, Doron Turgeman, police chief of Jerusalem district said in response to the heroic Palestinian attack: “This is one of the hardest terror attacks we’ve seen in recent years… to our knowledge, this terrorist acted alone. We are continuing to scan the area.”
Palestinians Celebrate
Celebrations break out after the operation, with Palestinians crowds across West Bank and Gaza were reported chanting, lighting bonfires and passing out treats.
Palestinian media reported celebrations in cities across the West Bank, including Ramallah, Nablus and Jenin, and parts of East Al-Quds.
Videos showed fireworks, celebratory gunfire, drivers honking horns and crowds chanting in the streets.
Masked men flashed victory signs and passed out treats in the West Bank city of Hebron.
At several locations across the Gaza Strip, dozens of Palestinians gathered in spontaneous demonstrations to celebrate the attack, with some coming out of dessert shops with large trays of sweets to distribute.
In Pictures: Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip march in the streets and distribute sweets in celebration of Jerusalem’s shooting operation. pic.twitter.com/fJGsjEF29D
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) January 27, 2023
Friday’s deadly attack came less than 48 hours after the brutal Israeli raid in Jenin, in which nine Palestinians were martyred, including an elderly woman. 20 other Palestinians were injured in the offensive which saw Israeli occupation police raiding a hospital and obstructing the work of Palestinian ambulances.
Resistance Factions Hail Operation
Palestinian resistance factions hailed the operation, calling it a ‘natural response to Jenin massacre.
“Al-Quds operation is a natural response to the Jenin massacre,” said Hamas Spokesman Mohammed Hamadeh. “Our people don’t forget the blood of their martyrs and avenge their death at the appropriate time and place.”
Another Hamas official, Abdel Latif Qanou, said the attack marked the beginning of the Palestinian response to the “crimes of the government of the fascist settlers, the latest of which was the massacre in Jenin refugee camp.”
“The heroic operation demonstrated the inability of the Zionist occupation to confront the heroes of the resistance,” Qanou added, noting that the Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem remain united in the fight against Israel.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), the second largest resistance group in the Gaza Strip after Hamas, welcomed the heroic operation in Neve Yaakov, saying it sends a message to ‘Israel’ that the Palestinians are ready to respond to its crimes.
“This operation came at the right time and place to avenge the blood of the martyrs in the Jenin camp and the West Bank,” PIJ said in a statement. “It came as a natural and legitimate response to the crimes of the occupation and the violations against the holy sites.”
“This blessed operation confirms the determination of the Palestinian people and their ability to respond in all areas,” it added.
The PLO’s Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) said in separate statements that the heroic operation shows that the Palestinian resistance will continue.
Source: Palestinian and Israeli media (translated and edited by Al-Manar English Website)
