The scene of a suspected terror shooting toward a bus outside Jerusalem’s Old City, August 14, 2022. (Israel Police)
Early on August 14, seven Israelis were wounded, two of them seriously, as a result of a shooting attack that took place just outside Jerusalem’s Old City.
Shots were fired at a bus on a street near the Western Wall and at a parking lot located near King David’s Tomb. The perpetrator reportedly waited for the bus’s arrival and fired the shots while passengers were boarding then attacked the parking lot before fleeing on foot to the nearby Silwan neighborhood.
Israel’s emergency service, the Magen David Adom, said its medics treated two people who were seriously hurt, as well as five others who were said to be in light and moderate conditions.
The Israeli Police conducting a widespread manhunt in Jerusalem throughout the night. The manhunt came to an end within a few hours when the perpetrator turned himself in along with the gun apparently used in the shooting. A photo of the weapon released by police showed a pistol on the floor of a car.
The suspect is reportedly an East Jerusalem resident who took a cab to a police station where he turned himself in. He was identified as 26-year-old Amir Sidawi. It remains unclear if Sidawi is linked to any Palestinian faction.
A photo released by the Israel Police shows the gun allegedly used in a suspected terror shooting outside Jerusalem’s Old City, August 14, 2022. (Israel Police)
The shooting attack in Jerusalem came exactly a week after the end of Israel’s Operation Breaking Down that targeted the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) in the Gaza Strip. The operation, which was launched in response to the PIJ’s rising influence in the West Bank and Jerusalem, claimed the lives of 49 Palestinians, including 17 children.
The deadly attack is a testimony to the failure of the recent Israeli operation in Gaza. The use of brute force has clearly failed to deter the PIJ and other Palestinian factions.
