Israelis killed in terror attack at Jerusalem synagogue4

4 Israelis killed in terror attack at Jerusalem synagogue

Two Arab terrorists from east Jerusalem massacre Jewish worshippers at Har Nof synagogue, before being killed in shootout with police • At least eight people, including two police officers, wounded • Hamas praises attack, calls for similar actions.

Israel Hayom Staff and The Associated Press

The site of the attack in Jerusalem's Har Nof neighborhood, Tuesday morning. | Photo credit: Reuters

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Two Arab terrorists from east Jerusalem stormed a synagogue in Jerusalem's Har Nof neighborhood on Tuesday and attacked Jewish worshippers at prayer inside with butcher knives, axes and guns, killing four people. The terrorists were then killed in a shootout with police. In addition to the dead, at least eight others were wounded in the attack, including two policemen.

The attack, the deadliest in Jerusalem in years, is bound to ratchet up fears of sustained violence in the city, already on edge amid soaring tensions surrounding the Temple Mount.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that Israel would "respond harshly" to the attack, describing it as "the cruel murder of Jews who came to pray and were killed by despicable murderers." U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said he spoke with Netanyahu after the assault and denounced it as an "act of pure terror and senseless brutality and violence."

The Israel Police reported that the two assailants, Rasan and Oudai Abu Jamal, were cousins from the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Jabel Mukaber. They were reportedly affiliated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. A relative of the two terrorists, Jamal Abu Jamal, was released from an Israeli prison in the past as a gesture of good will toward the Palestinian Authority, but was recently rearrested.

Hamas, the terrorist group which controls the Gaza Strip, praised the attack but stopped short of claiming responsibility. It urged all Arabs who have Israeli ID cards to infiltrate public places where Israelis gather and use any weapons at their disposal to carry out similar terrorist attacks.

The Palestinian Authority condemned the attack, following American and Israeli urging, but Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' condemnation also included a call for an end to Israeli "provocations."

A statement posted to the PA's Wafa news agency several hours after the incident -- and only after many Israeli officials, including the prime minister, as well as Kerry, blamed Abbas for inciting the attack -- said: "The Palestinian presidency has always condemned the killing of civilians on both sides, and condemns today the killing of worshipers in a house of worship in west Jerusalem.

"It also condemns all acts of violence from whatever source and demands an end to invasions of Al-Aqsa mosque, to the provocations of settlers, and to the incitement of certain Israeli ministers."

The attack occurred in the capital's ultra-Orthodox Har Nof neighborhood early Tuesday. Footage from the scene after the attack showed the synagogue surrounded by police, special forces, and emergency services personnel.

"I tried to escape. The man with the knife approached me. There was a chair and table between us. ... My prayer shawl got caught. I left it there and escaped," Yossi, who was praying at the synagogue at the time of the attack, told Channel 2 news.

"We immediately understood what was happening because the terrorist fired shots before entering the synagogue," another eyewitness told Channel 2. "He fired a gun and they yelled, 'Allahu akbar.' We understood that this was a [terror] event. Their faces were exposed. What goes through your mind is that you are talking with God on a level that you have never done in the past. You ask God to save you from this horrible event."

The spokesman for the ZAKA disaster victim identification organization told Channel 2 that "the scene was very complex and difficult, with several prayer houses and various rooms. The terrorists went from room to room and just targeted every person they could. People were lying dead with their tefillin and prayer shawls."

A wave of Arab terrorist attacks has struck Israelis in recent weeks. At least six Israelis have been killed in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria and Tel Aviv in recent weeks, before Tuesday's attack.

Jerusalem residents have already been fearful of what so-called lone wolf attacks using cars or knives against pedestrians. But Tuesday's synagogue attack harkens back to the gruesome attacks during the Second Intifada last decade.

Israel's police chief said Tuesday's attack was likely not organized by one of the larger terror groups, making it more difficult for security forces to prevent the violence.

"These are individuals that decide to do horrible acts. It's very hard to know ahead of time about every such incident," Commissioner Yohanan Danino told reporters at the scene.

Prior to Tuesday's attack, tensions appeared to have been somewhat defused following a meeting last week between Netanyahu, Kerry and Jordan's King Abdullah in Amman. The meeting was an attempt to restore calm after months of violent Arab riots, sparked by tensions related to the Temple Mount.