Armed Attack by Hamas Assailants at a Bus Station in Jerusalem Leaves 3 Dead

On the seventh day of the ceasefire in Gaza, two assailants from Hamas killed three people at a bus station in Jerusalem on Thursday, December 9, and injured three others. According to Reuters, Jerusalem police reported that the attackers, who were from East Jerusalem, were killed by Israeli soldiers' gunfire. The police stated, "The terrorists arrived at the scene in a car, armed with an M-16 rifle and a handgun, and began shooting at civilians, and were killed on the spot." Reuters obtained security camera footage showing a white car stopping next to a crowded bus station, from which two armed men exited and opened fire on the crowd. Shortly thereafter, the Palestinian attackers were targeted. Israeli media identified the deceased as a 20-year-old woman, a 60-year-old woman, and a 74-year-old rabbi. The Shin Bet, Israel's security agency, identified the two attackers as brothers aged 30 and 38 affiliated with Hamas, stating that they had previously been imprisoned in Israel. Israel reiterated its commitment to eradicating the Islamic group Hamas. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, after meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Tel Aviv, said, "This is the same Hamas that carried out the horrific massacre on October 7; the same Hamas that is trying to kill us everywhere... I told him (Blinken) we swore, I swore to root out Hamas." He emphasized, "Nothing will stop us." The Hamas militant group claimed responsibility for the Jerusalem attack, calling it a "heroic" act. In a statement, Hamas referred to the Israeli military attack on Gaza and the treatment of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, calling the operation a "natural response to unprecedented crimes" by Israel. Meanwhile, the U.S. Secretary of State, during his third visit to the region since the start of the war in Gaza, stated that Thursday's shooting was a reminder of the "terrorist threat that Israelis face every day." In a separate report from the West Bank, the Israeli army announced that two soldiers were injured in a vehicle attack at a checkpoint. The Israeli army's statement noted that the forces present at the scene "shot the attacker and neutralized him." The violence occurred as Israel and Hamas reached an agreement on Thursday to extend their six-day ceasefire in Gaza for one more day to allow negotiators to continue working on the exchange of Hamas hostages in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners. The sixth day of the humanitarian pause provided an opportunity for a closer look at the devastation left behind. International efforts to turn the humanitarian pause into a lasting ceasefire between Israel and Hamas continue. Israel and Hamas have extended the ceasefire for another day. Netanyahu stated that the war to destroy Hamas will resume. Hamas claims that a 10-month-old Israeli hostage and his family members have been killed. Released Israeli hostages report being beaten and threatened with death by Hamas.