RSS
Terrorist Kills Young Boy, Injures Others in Shooting on Israeli Bus
Israeli soldiers and emergency responders attend the scene of a suspected Palestinian shooting attack on an Israeli bus that, according to Israeli emergency services, killed a child and wounded others, near Beit Jala in the West Bank, Dec. 12, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Dedi Hayun
JNS.org — A terrorist killed a 12-year-old boy and wounded others in a shooting at a civilian bus near the Al-Khader Junction in Gush Etzion, an area south of Jerusalem in the West Bank.
The murdered boy was identified as Yehoshua Aharon Tuvya Simcha, the son of a prominent rabbi who manages a yeshivah in nearby Beitar Illit. Some reports said that the boy was 10.
“Heartbreaking news tonight from Israel: A shooting terror attack on a bus near Jerusalem leaves three wounded and a young boy killed,” the Israeli embassy in Washington stated. “May his memory be a blessing.”
“May Hashem avenge his death,” said Marc Zell, the chairman of Republicans Overseas Israel.
Several Israelis were being treated after a terrorist shot at a civilian bus, the Israel Defense Forces stated in Hebrew early on Thursday. It added that security forces were pursuing the terrorist and that it deployed roadblocks near Bethlehem.
The terrorist surrendered to security forces on Thursday morning following a pursuit, the IDF, Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), and Israel Police announced in a joint statement.
The suspect opened fire on the bus traveling on Route 60 from Beitar Illit to Jerusalem. The bus continued to the Tunnel Checkpoint, where it stopped so the injured could receive medical treatment.
The Magen David Adom emergency medical service said that it responded to the shooting and that its paramedics “treated and evacuated two injured to Hadassah [Medical Center in Jerusalem’s] Ein Kerem: a 12-year-old child in serious condition and a 40-year-old woman in mild condition.”
“We found a 12-year-old with gunshot wounds, treated him, and evacuated him to Hadassah,” said Elhai Sofer, a Magen David Adom paramedic, and Yaakov Greenwald, a senior EMT. “A 40-year-old woman in moderate condition was evacuated to Shaare Zedek [Medical Center in Jerusalem].”
According to MDA, two others with mild wounds from shattered glass were also treated.
The attacker was identified as Ezz Aldin Malluh, from Bayt Awwa, west of Hebron. He initially tried to turn himself in to the Palestinian Authority but was turned away, with officers confiscating his weapon.
“Regrettably, the death of the child who was critically injured in the deadly shooting attack on a bus traveling from our city to Jerusalem has been confirmed,” the Beitar Illit Municipality said.
“The family, Jerusalem residents, was returning from a family celebration when they were caught in the terrorist’s gunfire directed at the bus. The attacker fired 23 bullets before fleeing the scene. In addition to the deceased child, a woman from Jerusalem was moderately injured, and two others sustained mild injuries,” the municipality continued.
Three Breslov Chassids were shot and sustained minor injuries while traveling to pray at the Joseph’s Tomb compound on the southeastern outskirts of Nablus late Tuesday night.
Separately, a 21-year-old man was lightly wounded in a suspected vehicular assault in Bnei Brak, a city east of Tel Aviv, on Tuesday evening.
The post Terrorist Kills Young Boy, Injures Others in Shooting on Israeli Bus first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
RSS
Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
RSS
Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.