A Hamas member killed a civilian and wounded three other people in a gun assault in Jerusalem’s Old City before being shot to death by Israeli police. The attack, the second in the space of four days, took place near the Arab market that runs along the Western Wall. Government sources have spoken of the man as a Hamas militant from East Jerusalem. Hamas has confirmed his membership in his organization, which has also been classified by the United Kingdom as a terrorist group since November 19. The man was identified by Hamas itself with 42-year-old Fadi Abu Shkhaydam.
Bennet: strengthening security in the city
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennet has ordered a tightening of security measures in the city. “On days like this – he said, according to Reuter – one can receive support from the (British) decision to classify Hamas as a terrorist organization,” said Bennet. Israel annexed the Old City and other parts of East Jerusalem in 1967, in a move that did not receive approval from the international community. Palestinians regard East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state, but Israel insists that the capital is “indivisible”.
Hamas: one of our leaders killed
The attacker was “a Hamas leader” in the Shuafat refugee camp in East Jerusalem where he lived, according to the same organization. “The message of the heroic operation is that of a warning to the criminal enemy and his government, to stop the attacks against our land and our sacred places”, reads a note released by the group that governs the Gaza Strip. Israel, the note continues, “will pay the price for the wickedness it commits against the al-Aqsa Mosque and elsewhere,” he added.