One person was murdered and another 3 were wounded, one moderately to seriously, this morning, Sunday, in a shooting attack near the Chain Gate near the Western Wall. The two others were lightly wounded.
The terrorist was neutralized by security forces.
The wounded were evacuated to Hadassah Ein Kerem, Hadassah Mount Scopus and Shaare Zedek hospitals in Jerusalem. One, who was fatally wounded, died of his wounds at Hadassah Hospital on Mount Scopus.
Preliminary investigation raises suspicion that the terrorist disguised himself as a haredi man and opened fire with a submachine gun at passersby and policemen who were at the scene. A knife was also found on the terrorist’s person.
Police believe that another terrorist played a part in the attack, and that he escaped the scene. Police are conducting searches for him.
The Temple Mount was closed to Jews immediately after the attack.
HD Editor’s Note: Why Is This News Biblically Relevant?
This news comes only days after a Palestinian stabbing attack on Border Police guards took place in Jerusalem’s Old City. TV7 Israel News reported on Thursday:
Graphic video released by police shows the swift reaction by the young officer after her colleague, 20, was suddenly stabbed by a knife-wielding Palestinian. She was immediately fought off the assailant and succeeded in pinning him against a wall, despite being repeatedly stabbed before he was ultimately shot by a civilian passerby.
Both officers were fully conscious and evacuated to hospital with stab wounds to the head. The female officer was listed as in light-to-moderate condition, while her partner’s injuries were considered only “light.”
The Islamist Hamas rulers of Gaza claimed Abu-Assab as a member and hailed the attack, which occurred as the Israeli officers backs were turned, as a “heroic commando operation.” “This is the latest confirmation that our people’s revolution against the occupation will continue until the occupier is swept away,” said a spokesperson for the terror group, Hazim Qasim.
The Old City has been a frequent flashpoint of Arab violence against Israelis.
Israel regards all of Jerusalem as the eternal and indivisible capital of the Jewish People, while Palestinians demand the eastern sector as capital of a state they seek in Gaza and the West Bank.
Clashes between Islamists and Jerusalem police during observance of Ramadan last April ignited into a larger conflict with Hamas and other Palestinian terror groups the following month, known as Operation Guardian of the Walls.
In Psalm 122:6, Christians are specifically urged to “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.”
Christians must understand their Biblical responsibility toward God’s chosen people. It is incumbent upon Christians to love, pray for and stand up for the Jewish people, the state of Israel, and their eternal capital of Jerusalem. God has not forgotten His people, and neither should His servants.
