On 8 September 2025, two Palestinian militants opened fire inside a bus, killing 6 and injuring 21[1] at the Ramot Junction in East Jerusalem.[2] The attackers were shot and killed by an armed civilian and an off-duty soldier who responded immediately at the scene.[3][4][5]
The attack occurred during the ongoing Gaza War and the Israeli military operation in the West Bank, causing high tensions, displacement and casualties. The 2023 Givat Shaul shooting was a similar attack, in which gunmen opened fire at a bus stop in Givat Shaul, killing four people.[3] Data from the United Nations humanitarian office indicates that at least 49 Israelis were killed by Palestinians in Israel or the West Bank between October 2023 and July 2025. During that same time, Israeli forces and civilians have killed at least 968 Palestinians in Israel and the West Bank.[6]
The attack came after IDF forces in Gaza called on Palestinians to evacuate famine-stricken Gaza City and move to an IDF-designated humanitarian area in the south, coinciding with an expansion of military activity. Shortly after that announcement Hamas announced that it was assessing a new cease-fire proposal to end the war.[7]
Attack
Two militants arrived by vehicle to nearby the 62 bus line stop near Ramot Junction on Yigal Street, in East Jerusalem.[1] One of them was reportedly dressed as a ticket inspector.[8] According to eyewitnesses, when the bus pulled into the stop, the doors did not initially open. The driver claimed that they had malfunctioned. When the doors opened, the militants immediately began shooting. Another witness described the shooting as happening immediately after the bus arrived at the stop. According to emergency services, the shooting began at approximately 10:13 IST, when reports of gunfire were received by Magen David Adom (MDA). Witnesses described gunfire directed at a bus and nearby people.[1]
The attackers used an improvised "Carlo" submachine gun, a makeshift firearm commonly produced in Palestinian workshops in the West Bank that has been employed in a number of previous Palestinian attacks.[9] The attackers were killed by an officer from the IDF's Hashmonaim Brigade and by an ultra-Orthodox civilian armed with a licensed private handgun.[10]
MDA paramedics reported finding several people unconscious on the ground near the bus stop, surrounded by shattered glass and debris. Paramedics provided treatment on site before evacuating the wounded to hospitals in Jerusalem.[3]
The Israel Police announced that after both perpetrators had been "neutralized", major access roads to the junction were closed.[3] Large police and security forces were deployed under the command of the district commander.[3]
In response to the attack, Israel demolished homes in Qatanna and al-Qubeiba, the hometowns of the two attackers. It also cancelled work visas for 750 Palestinians from those areas, and sanctioned the families of the attackers.[11][12]Bezalel Smotrich said that the assailants' villages should "become like Rafah and Beit Hanoun."[13]
Victims
Authorities reported that eight people were killed, including one person who died at Shaare Zedek Medical Center and the two perpetrators. The victims were reportedly identified as Levi Yitzhak Pash, 57, Yisrael Matzner, 28, Rabbi Yosef David, 43, Rabbi Mordechai Steintzeg, 79, Yaakov Pinto (a Spanish national[14]), 25 and Sarah Mendelson, 60.[15] The Shaare Zedek Medical Center opened a mental health emergency room following the attack. At least 26 people were treated at the scene for anxiety.[16][1] At least 21 others were injured, including 10 people transported to Shaare Zedek, Hadassah–Ein Kerem, and Hadassah–Mount Scopus.[1]
Assailants
Hamas's al-Qassam Brigades claimed responsibility for the attack.[17] The perpetrators were identified as Palestinians from the West Bank, reportedly originating from the towns of al-Qubeiba and Qatanna, situated near Ramallah and in proximity to the site of the attack.[18] Arabic sources identified the perpetrators as Mohamed Bassam Taha and Muthanna Naji Amru.[19]
A suspected accomplice was later arrested by the Shin Bet in East Jerusalem.[20]
Reactions
Domestic
Israeli prime ministerBenjamin Netanyahu sent condolences to the families of the victims, and described the attack as part of the "intense war [that Israeli is fighting] on several fronts." Other Israeli ministers took this incident as proof that a "peaceful" Palestinian state is not at hand, and called on the international community not to recognize a Palestinian state.[21]Israeli presidentIsaac Herzog called the attackers "vile and evil terrorists" while memorializing the victims and praising those that prevented even more victims.[7]
The president of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas, indirectly condemned the attack, saying that he continues to be "rejecting and condemning any harm to Palestinian and Israeli civilians, and rejects all forms of violence, regardless of their source."[22]
Hamas praised the attackers, describing it as a "heroic operation." In a statement, the group called it "a natural response to the occupation's crimes and war of extermination" and urged West Bank Palestinians to "escalate the confrontation with the occupation and its settlers."[23]Palestinian Islamic Jihad also praised the attack saying “a natural and legitimate response to the ongoing crimes of the Zionist enemy”.[22][24] Hamas later accepted responsibility for the shooting.[25]
International
The foreign ministry of Argentina "energetically" condemned the attack, expressing condolences to the families of the victims, especially to the family of Sara Mendelson, who was an Argentine citizen by birth. The ministry further labelled the attack as "antisemitic" and conveyed the country's support for Israel in the fight against terrorism.[26][27]
The United Arab Emirates condemned "in the strongest terms" what it called a "terrorist shooting incident" and expressed its condolences to the families of the victims and the state of Israel and its people.[28]
The United States Department of State said that it was "closely monitoring the situation in Jerusalem following this morning's cruel terror attack at the Ramot Junction" and that it "condemns terrorism and stands alongside our friend Israel."[29]
A European Union spokesperson condemned the attack saying, "We condemn all loss of lives" as well as calling for de-escalation and a ceasefire.[30]
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Hamas (claimed responsibility)