1 man killed, 4 injured in terror shooting in Jerusalem Old City

One Israeli man was killed and four others were wounded Sunday morning in a shooting attack in the Old City of Jerusalem, officials said.

Police officers at the scene opened fire at the shooter, an East Jerusalem Palestinian, and killed him, according to police.

Two of the casualties were civilian men, according to the Magen David Adom ambulance service. One was taken in critical condition to Hadassah Hospital Mount Scopus, where he was pronounced dead. The second sustained moderate-to-severe injuries and was taken to Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem.

“A victim with a serious head injury, who was in his 30s, was evacuated [to the hospital] while receiving CPR, with no vital signs. A trauma team continued the CPR but was forced to pronounce his death,” Hadassah said.

Two police officers, aged 30 and 31, were lightly wounded, according to the Israel Police. They were taken to Hadassah Ein Kerem for treatment. Another person was lightly wounded and was not hospitalized, according to Magen David Adom.

The shooting took place around 9 a.m. near the Chain Gate in the Old City, one of the entrances to the Temple Mount. Police immediately closed the site to visitors following the attack.

In video from the scene, a voice off camera can be heard repeatedly yelling “help” in Hebrew, followed by a burst of gunfire. Further shots can then be heard as police appear to chase after the assailant.

There were reports that the assailant was dressed as an ultra-Orthodox man, but that was not immediately confirmed. The attacker used a Beretta M12 submachine gun in the attack, police said.

Official Hamas Al-Aqsa television identified the terrorist as Fadi Abu Shkhaydam, a 42-year-old resident of the Shuafat refugee camp in East Jerusalem. The Hamas mouthpiece identified him as “one of Hamas’s leaders” in the camp.

Public Security Minister Omar Barlev said that the attack appeared to have been well-planned in advance.

“The terrorist was a member of Hamas’s political branch who regularly prayed in the Old City. His wife fled abroad three days ago and he used standard weapons that are not commonly available in Israel,” Barlev said in remarks at the scene of the attack.

الشهيد فادي أبو شخيدم منفذ عملية الاشتباك المسلح في البلدة القديمة بالقدس المحتلة pic.twitter.com/7oMqp6AGhg

— مش هيك (@meshhek) November 21, 2021
The incident came several days after a stabbing attack in the Old City, in which a pair of border guards were hurt.

Hamas spokesperson Hazim Qasim praised Sunday’s terror attack as “legitimate struggle,” but did not immediately claim responsibility for the shooting.

“The holy city will continue to fight until it expels the foreign occupier, and it will not succumb to the hateful reality of the occupation,” said Qasim.