Seven people were injured this Monday in a terrorist attack with cars in Jerusalem.
The victims include a man in his 70s who is in serious condition, a woman in his 30s in moderate condition, and a man in his 50s and two men in their 25s who suffered minor injuries.
The victims were taken to Shaare Zedek Medical Center and Hadassah University Medical Center.
One of the victims was hospitalized for shock, a Hadassah representative said.
The terrorist was identified as Hatem Abu Nijmeh, 39, from Beit Safafa, east of Jerusalem. He was shot dead by a civilian at the scene.
Terror in the heart of Jerusalem
Nijmeh was a married father of five who was unknown to security forces but reportedly had a history of mental illness.
The terrorist attack occurred in the area of Davidka Square, one block away from Mahaneh Yehuda Market.
Nijmeh reached the intersection and accelerated, deliberately hitting pedestrians, including people crossing the street, police said. When he slowed and then stopped, an armed civilian shot and killed him.
Israeli security forces and rescue workers work at the scene after a terrorist attack in the Mahane Yehuda market in Jerusalem, April 24, 2023 (Credit: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun)
Minutes after the attack, security forces, off-duty soldiers, police and Jerusalem light rail security officers arrived at the scene. A crowd of Israelis and tourists gathered around the area and had to be pushed aside to allow the evacuation of the victims.
“I heard gunshots and I told the emergency services where I heard them. I didn’t want to believe it was a terrorist attack.”
Observer
“I heard [about five] shots and I told emergency services where I heard them,” said one bystander. “I didn’t want to believe it was a terrorist attack… This will not end unless we do more mitzvot and hasten the coming of Moshiach “.
One man said a terrorist attack was to be expected before Remembrance Day and the Arab media would likely portray the terrorist as an innocent victim.
Another man said he was “going to the market to buy flags and meat,” but first he went to buy rice for his father. That decision changed his route and saved his life, he said.
A security guard in a nearby parking lot said he initially thought it sounded like a car crash, but when he heard gunshots, he approached the scene.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking at a Remembrance Day ceremony in Jerusalem minutes after the attack, said it “reminds us that the State of Israel was bought with great suffering.”
“These terrorist attacks are carried out with the expectation that they will tear us out of here, if they could they would kill us all.”
Benjamin Netanyahu
“These terrorist attacks are carried out with the expectation that they will uproot us from here,” he said. “If they could, they would murder us all.”
The Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, spoke by phone with the civilian who killed the terrorist.
“I wanted to congratulate you” for saving many lives, he said.
“The State of Israel thanks you for preventing a very large disaster,” Ben-Gvir said, adding that when he asked the Ministry of National Security’s Firearms Division to facilitate access to weapons for anyone qualified, it was for the purpose. to help people defend themselves.
The aftermath of a terrorist attack in central Jerusalem on April 24, 2023 (Credit: MICHAEL STARR)
Hours after the attack, a small group of men and teenagers held up Israeli flags and a cardboard sign with the word “revenge” scrawled on it.
“We want revenge!” sang the group. “Ben-Gvir, go home!”
When asked what the second chant meant, one of the men said that Ben-Gvir “does nothing.”
Due to the terrorist attack, the light rail service was stopped from Davidka station to Damascus Gate. Police said they would increase patrols and security activity across the city.
Jerusalem Post staff contributed to this report.
