Bombs at Jerusalem bus stops kill at least one, injure 14

Safety and health officials said at least one person was killed and 14 injured in two explosions at bus stops in Jerusalem on Wednesday. Israeli authorities are investigating the two attacks, according to Israeli Minister of Public Safety, Omer Bar-Lev.

Victims said one person was killed and 11 injured in an explosion at a bus stop at the West Exit of Jerusalem, while a bus was damaged and three injured in an explosion at another stop about two miles to the north.

The police stated that the two explosions occurred half an hour apart and noted that the explosives experts, together with the police and forensic scientists at the scene, “gathered evidence and scanned the area for suspects”.

An AFP photographer at the scene said the blast punched a hole in the metal fence behind the bus stop, with an electric scooter and a hat on the ground. The photographer said the second explosion hit the side of a bus.

Shaare Zedek hospital in Jerusalem said one person died from injuries from the initial blast. Doctors were treating another person in critical condition, two seriously injured and two lightly injured.

Hadassah medical center reported that six people were injured in the first explosion and three others were slightly injured in the second explosion.

“horrified”

Public Security Minister Omar Bar-Lev said he met with the police chief and was “informed about the two attacks in Jerusalem”.

The Palestinian militant group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, praised the attacks. Hamas spokesman Abd al-Latif al-Qanua said, “We congratulate our Palestinian people and our people in the occupied city of Jerusalem for the heroic special operation at the bus stop.” said.

Dimiter Tzantchev, the European Union’s Ambassador to Israel, said he was “horrified by terrorist attacks”. He tweeted, “My deepest condolences to the families of the victims and wish a speedy recovery to all the injured. Terrorism can never be justified.”

Defense Minister Benny Gantz held consultations with the head of the Shin Bet internal security agency and senior military officials.

Violence has escalated this year, especially in the occupied West Bank, where the Israeli military has launched attacks almost daily since a series of deadly attacks on Israeli targets earlier this year.

Following Wednesday’s bombings, the Israeli military announced the closure of two checkpoints near the hotspot in the West Bank city of Jenin.

During the second Intifada, or uprising, in the early 2000s, Palestinian militants repeatedly planted bombs at city bus stops, including in Jerusalem.

(with information from AFP)