Fears of an escalation of the conflict as a gunman wounded two Israelis in East Jerusalem | Israel

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Two Israelis were shot dead in occupied East Jerusalem hours after a gunman killed seven people outside a synagogue, as the worst violence in years continues to escalate across Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.

The Israeli Ambulance Service said the two victims were seriously injured in the accident near the Old City on Saturday morning. A police spokesman told Israel’s Army Radio that the attacker had been “neutralised”.

The shooting came after a Palestinian gunman shot seven people dead near a synagogue on the outskirts of the city as they were leaving Shabbat prayers on Friday night.

The attack on the settlement of Neveh Ya’akov is the worst attack targeting Israelis in years. This attack, in turn, came a day after the deadliest Israeli army raid in the West Bank in two decades, in which nine Palestinians were killed, including two civilians.

Thursday morning’s operation targeted Islamic Jihad militants in the Jenin refugee camp in the northern West Bank, prompting an exchange of rockets between the Gaza Strip and Israel in the early hours of Friday and raising fears of a broader escalation in the conflict. Long struggle.

Last year was the deadliest in Israel and the Palestinian territories since 2004, with some 250 Palestinians killed in the West Bank and 30 Israelis killed. Another 49 Palestinians were killed in the Gaza Strip in a sudden three-day Israeli bombing campaign in August.

So far this month, 31 Palestinians have been killed.

The US State Department, along with the United Nations and other international mediators, urged “maximum restraint” on both sides to de-escalate the situation.

More details soon…

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