HAIFA, Israel—Six Israelis were shot and wounded by a Palestinian terrorist on Aug. 1 in a West Bank settlement.
The shooter burst into a restaurant outside a main shopping mall in the city of Ma’ale Adumim, near Jerusalem, before opening fire on a group of Israeli civilians—including children—at point-blank range, according to video footage from the scene. The shooter wounded more people near the shopping mall, authorities said.
“Some of the victims escaped and hid in shops in the mall,” Israeli medic Miryam Sharvit said. “A victim was in a restaurant with his wife and 5-year-old daughter when they suddenly heard gunfire.”
Surveillance video showed a middle-aged man, wielding a chair, chasing the gunman out of the burger restaurant.
An off-duty police officer heard the gunfire, rushed toward the sound, and killed the assailant, police said. The terrorist was dressed as a security guard in a neon vest.
The terrorist, who worked at the community center in the city, was identified by the Israeli Security Agency to be from the nearby West Bank town of al-Azariya.
According to an update from the hospitals on the victims’ conditions on Aug. 2, a man about 40 years old was in serious but stable condition after undergoing surgery. An additional three victims were in moderate condition, and two others were in light condition; one of them has been released from the hospital.
The Islamic militant groups Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad praised the attack as “heroic,” but neither of them claimed responsibility.
In an audio clip purportedly recorded by the assailant and shared on social media, the alleged shooter vows to “die for the sake of Allah” and asks that he “not be claimed by any political faction.”
‘Severe and Unusual’
This is a “very severe and unusual incident” Benny Kashriel, mayor of Ma’ale Adumim, said in an interview with Israeli TV Channel 14.The terrorist had worked as a cleaning and maintenance worker for about two weeks at the community center, and his father has worked at that community center for more than 20 years, according to Mr. Kashriel.
“The terrorist went through the entire security procedure, security checks, and received a security clearance to work at the community center,” he said.
Every Palestinian employee goes through these procedures to receive a security clearance, Mr. Kashriel said.
About 6,500 Palestinians work in the factories in the city’s industrial area, which is located away from residences, he said, adding that security teams patrol between the factories every day.
Palestinians also work at construction sites, large supermarkets, and as doctors in the city’s health system, Mr. Kashriel said.
“Our security system is quite tight, and, therefore, I see this as an unusual [incident],” he said, adding that they'll learn from the attack and take the necessary procedures.
According to the Hamas terror organization that governs the Gaza Strip, the attack was a response to Israeli officials’ visit to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem in July.
The legal status of the religious site—known in Islam as the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and in Judaism as the Temple Mount—has been a source of recurring clashes.
The United States released a statement condemning the terrorist attack in Ma’ale Adumim, about 4 miles east of Jerusalem.
“We unequivocally condemn today’s terrorist attack in Ma’ale Adumim that resulted in injuries to at least five individuals,” the State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs posted on the X social media platform, formerly known as Twitter.
“We are deeply concerned by the rising levels of violence in the West Bank in recent months and condemn all acts of violence.”
3 Terror Attacks in Under 24 Hours
A few hours after the terror attack in Ma'ale Adumim, a 15-year-old Palestinian was killed in a shooting by Israeli security forces in the West Bank after a stabbing attempt.According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), an officer and her driver were passing by a bus station at the Eshtamoa Junction, spotted a suspect, and stopped to question him. The suspect pulled out a knife and tried to stab the officer and the soldier.
The soldier shot the suspect in response, and military medics declared him dead at the scene, according to the IDF.
On Aug. 2, the IDF stated that security forces were searching for suspects after a drive-by shooting attack wounded one person at the Hamra Junction in the West Bank, and had a large presence in the city of Nablus.
At about noon, a woman in her 30s was lightly injured in her face by flying shards of glass when a shooter fired on her car from a passing vehicle.
The woman was traveling with her husband and their two children, aged 6 and 9, who suffered no injuries.
