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Hamas Claims Responsibility for Jerusalem Terror Attack in Which Three Killed, Six Wounded
Israeli officials work at the scene of a Palestinian terrorist attack in Jerusalem, Nov. 30, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
Hamas claimed responsibility for the murder of three Israelis on Thursday morning by Palestinian terrorists as they waited at a bus station in Jerusalem.
The terrorists approached the bus stop at the entrance of Israel’s capital city around 7:40 am local time and opened fire at the civilians, killing three people and wounding six others. Police said two off-duty soldiers and an armed civilian in the area fired back, killing the attackers.
The terrorists were reportedly armed with an M-16 assault rifle and a handgun. A police search of their vehicle found hundreds of rounds of ammunition of ammunition.
The victims were 73-year-old Rabbi Elimelech Wasserman, a judge in the rabbinical court in Ashdod; a 67-year-old school principal from Beit Shemesh named Hanna Ifergan; and 24-year-old Livia Dickman from Har Nof.
Of the injured, two were listed in serious condition, three in moderate condition, and one in good condition, according to Israeli emergency services.
Hamas, the Palestinian terror group that rules Gaza, said in a statement that the two perpetrators — brothers Murad (38) and Ibrahim (30) Nemer, from the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sur Baher — were “jihad-waging martyrs,” adding that the terrorist attack was in response to Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.
“The heroes of our people are mobilizing to avenge the blood of the martyrs,” added Hamas, which called for an “escalation of resistance.” The terror organization launched the current war with Israel with its Oct. 7 massacre across southern Israeli communities.
Hamas also said the attack came in response to the killing of two children in the West Bank on Wednesday. Two kids, aged 8 and 15, as well as two senior terror commanders, were killed by Israeli forces in Jenin. Hamas claimed the 15-year-old as one of its members.
According to Israel’s Shin Bet security agency, the Nemer brothers were members of Hamas who were previously jailed for terror activity. Murad was jailed between 2010 and 2020 for planning terror attacks linked to Gaza, and Ibrahim was jailed in 2014 for undisclosed terror activity.
Political reaction to the attack was swift.
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has been a public opponent of the recent ceasefire and hostage-prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Hamas, said Thursday’s attack was a violation of the temporary truce.
“With one hand Hamas signs a ceasefire, with the other it sends terrorists to murder Jews in Jerusalem,” he said. “This is not a ceasefire but rather a continuation of the conception of containment [of terror attacks] and concession that brought us murdered people, which gives [Hamas leader Yahya] Sinwar hope that he can exit this conflict with the upper hand.”
Speaking at the scene of the attack, Ben-Gvir praised his policy of arming more civilians and called on the government to increase its attacks on Hamas, saying, “We have to speak to Hamas only through intentions, only through the war.”
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich echoed this call, tweeting, “We are at war on all fronts… We will pursue and destroy them with God’s help everywhere.”
War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz, a former chief of staff of the army, also spoke about the attack on social media: “This attack is further proof of our commitment to continue the fight with strength and determination against the murderous terrorism that threatens our citizens. In Jerusalem, Gaza, Judea and Samaria, and everywhere,”
His statement appeared to be in response to international pressure on Israel not to continue its campaign against Hamas once the ceasefire ends.
Newly minted US Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew shared on X/Twitter that “we unequivocally condemn such brutal violence.”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who was visiting Israel, said Thursday’s shooting was a reminder “of the threat from terrorism that Israel and Israelis face every single day… My heart goes out to the victims of this attack.”
In a separate incident on Thursday, two Israeli reservist soldiers were lightly injured in a car-ramming attack at a checkpoint in the northern west Bank, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said. Other soldiers at the scene shot and killed the driver.
The post Hamas Claims Responsibility for Jerusalem Terror Attack in Which Three Killed, Six Wounded first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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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.”
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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.
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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.