Two 17-year-old Palestinians arrested for running over and attempting to shoot in Jerusalem

A car crash and failed shooting attempt occurred this Monday near the central bus station in Jerusalem, resulting in three minor injuries, according to a statement from the police force. The incident was allegedly perpetrated by two 17-year-old Palestinians who armed themselves with a homemade submachine gun before attempting to open fire. However, the weapon jammed, and the attackers threw it away in their escape.

The accident took place in the Romema neighborhood of East Jerusalem, an area claimed by Palestinians as their capital but currently under Israeli Army control. Shortly after the incident, two Palestinians from Hebron, a city in the occupied West Bank, were arrested as suspects. They had hidden in a closed business before being apprehended following extensive searches conducted by Border Police and a helicopter.

The three injured individuals, identified as Menachem Mendel Fisch, Yosef Yitzhak Hershenboim, and a 15-year-old boy, received medical care from the Israeli emergency service Magen David Adom. Their injuries were minor, primarily affecting their heads and faces. Two of them have already been discharged from Shaare Tzedek hospital.

Surveillance camera footage captured the attack, showing the car accelerating towards a group of people and running them over. Violent incidents, such as attempted stabbings or attacks on military checkpoints and Israeli security forces, happen regularly in Jerusalem, particularly in its eastern part that is under Israeli military occupation.

The escalation of violence in Jerusalem and the West Bank has been linked to Israel’s airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, which resulted from a devastating attack by the Hamas terrorist group. Palestinian health authorities report a death toll of more than 34,000 people in the Israeli assault, while at least 1,400 Israelis lost their lives.