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Israeli father and son shot in second Jerusalem terrorist attack in 24 hours

The victims were taken to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in serious but stable condition • The attack comes after seven people were killed in a shooting rampage at a synagogue in the Israeli capital.

A Palestinian terrorist wounds an Israeli father and son outside the Old City of Jerusalem, Jan. 28, 2023. Photo by Yonatan Sindel/FLASH90.
A Palestinian terrorist wounds an Israeli father and son outside the Old City of Jerusalem, Jan. 28, 2023. Photo by Yonatan Sindel/FLASH90.

A Palestinian terrorist shot an Israeli father and son near the entrance to the City of David National Park adjacent to Jerusalem’s Old City on Saturday morning, a day after a deadly shooting rampage at a synagogue elsewhere in the Israeli capital.

Police said the attacker, a 13-year-old from the nearby Silwan/Shiloach neighborhood, was shot and neutralized by armed civilians.

The Kan public broadcaster identified the terrorist as Muhammad Aliyat.

The Magen David Adom emergency medical service said the victims were treated at the scene for gunshot wounds to the upper body and then taken to the Shaare Zedek Medical Center in serious but stable condition. The father’s condition subsequently improved to moderate.

The terrorist was also taken to the hospital.

Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi on Friday night ordered the reinforcement of troops in Judea and Samaria in preparation for a possible military escalation in the wake of the attack at the synagogue that killed seven people.

Israel Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai similarly ordered the alert level raised to the highest level in the capital after the shooting attack at a Jewish house of worship in the Neve Ya’akov neighborhood.

The moves were announced after a security assessment led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who visited the scene of the attack.

“Our hearts go out to the families of the wounded and dead. We have assessed the situation and decided on some immediate actions. We will act decisively,” said Netanyahu.

“This political environment could discourage congressional committee staff and federal agency personnel from pursuing investigations or enforcement actions involving antisemitism,” Karen Paikin Barall of the Brandeis Center told JNS.
“They get social credit within their political bases in terms of talking about settler violence and and taking up the side of the Palestinians on issues between them and Israel,” Rafael Mangual of the Manhattan Institute told JNS.
The U.S. envoy also said antisemitism “didn’t exist” during his upbringing and warned of an unintended clash between Israel and Turkey.
“There is not, and there will not be, a Palestinian state,” the Israeli prime minister pledged. He also called for the corruption trial against him to be dropped.