Israel: shooting leaves several dead in an East Jerusalem synagogue
A shooting outside a synagogue in East Jerusalem killed at least seven people this Friday, January 27, 2023. AP - Mahmoud Illean
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Seven people were killed and ten others injured in a shooting on Friday (January 27th) on the northern outskirts of Jerusalem, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said.
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The attack occurred in Neve Ya'akov, an Israeli settlement in East Jerusalem located in the Arab sector of the city, annexed by the Jewish state.
Around 8:15 p.m. local time, the assailant, armed with a pistol, entered a synagogue.
He opens fire, and targets several people.
It's Friday evening, it's the beginning of the Sabbath, day of prayer for the Jews.
The Israeli police intervene quickly.
The shooter is shot in turn.
In a press release, the Israeli security forces speak of a veritable "
carnage
", reports our correspondent in Jerusalem,
Sami Boukhelifa
.
Seven innocent people lost their lives in a context of widespread violence.
The attack came a day after Israel's deadliest assault in years in the West Bank, which
killed nine people Thursday in Jenin.
These events mark the beginning of a new cycle of violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
"
This operation is a response to the crime carried out by the occupying forces in Jenin and a natural response to the criminal actions of the occupation
", declared in Gaza the spokesman of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, Hazem Qassem, without claiming responsibility for the attack.
The Islamic Jihad, another Palestinian armed group, also welcomed this action without claiming paternity.
Vigorous condemnation from the United States
The United States strongly condemned this "
appalling
" attack.
"
It's absolutely appalling
," State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters.
“
We condemn this apparent terrorist attack in the strongest terms
,” he added.
"
We stand in solidarity with the Israeli people,
" said the official, according to whom Washington is in "
close contact
" with the Israeli authorities.
The spokesman specified that there was no change in the program of the chief of the American diplomacy, Antony Blinken, who must go from Sunday to Egypt then Monday and Tuesday in Jerusalem and Ramallah.
He will discuss "measures to be taken for a de-escalation of tensions", he added.
(
And with agencies
)
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