Terror attack: 1 dead, 6 wounded in shooting attack near Jerusalem checkpoint

One Israeli was murdered and six were wounded in a shooting attack by three terrorists at a checkpoint at the town of Ma’ale Adumim, near Jerusalem, on Thursday morning.

The wounded, including three in serious condition, were evacuated to hospitals in nearby Jerusalem.

The police said three Palestinians approached the A'zaim checkpoint, between Ma’ale Adumim and Jerusalem, and opened automatic gunfire at Israelis in their cars who were waiting in traffic before the checkpoint.

Two terrorists were shot and killed by nearby security forces, while the third, at first, fled before being shot shortly after when police searched and located him.

The terrorists apparently took advantage of the huge traffic jams during morning rush hour, as thousands of workers began streaming into Jerusalem. The three terrorists arrived at the scene in two vehicles and were armed with an M-16 rifle, a Carlo gun, hand grenades, and ammunition, the police reported.

The Shin Bet domestic intelligence agency later identified the terrorists as the two brothers Muhammad and Kazem Zuwahara, 26- and 31-year-old residents of the Bethlehem area, one of them a former prisoner for illegal immigration.

The third terrorist is a 31-year-old Palestinian, Ahmad al-Wahsh, from Za'atara in the Bethlehem area.

“The outline of the attack this morning and the exploitation of the traffic jams in the checkpoint area is the nightmare of everyone who is facing the tunnel checkpoint,” said Oded Ravivi, the Local Council head of Efrat.

“The security systems must change their approach immediately and create a safe space for residents who wish to reach Jerusalem. Unfortunately, after letters, meetings, and even discussions in the Knesset, those responsible now cannot say, ‘We did not know/’”

Hamas made an official statement praising the terror attack.

“The heroic operation is a natural response to the Occupation’s massacres and crimes in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.”

Israel's Magen David Adom (MDA) emergency rescue services later said one of the wounded, a young pregnant woman of about 23 years, was still in serious condition with gunshot wounds to her upper body.

The woman was undergoing “significant surgery” but was in stable condition without risk to her life, Shaare Zedek Medical Center Trauma Center head Dr. Alon Schwartz, stated later in the day.

When asked about the health of her baby, Schwartz said no issues were found during an initial examination but that it was“too early” to know any possible long-term impact on its development or the pregnancy.

Four other victims remain in moderate condition, while one woman sustained light injuries. In addition, four people were taken to hospital to be treated for trauma.

MDA paramedic Nadav Taib, who was one of the first to arrive at the scene, said: "It is a complex arena that was spread over a length of about half a kilometer. We noticed five vehicles with injured people, in one of the vehicles sat a young man in his 20s, unconscious without a pulse and not breathing, with gunshot wounds to his upper body. We performed medical tests and unfortunately, we had to determine his death."

"In another car sat a young woman about 23 years old, fully conscious, she suffered gunshot wounds to her upper body, we gave her life-saving medical treatment and evacuated her to Shaare Zedek Hospital. In addition, there were 4 moderately injured, a woman who was bruised and several anxiety victims."