Hamas Terrorist Opens Fire Near Entrance of Temple Mount Killing 1, Injuring 4 Others

The shooter has been identified as Jerusalem resident Fadi Abu Shkhaidem, 42.

“[The gunman] moved through the alleys and fired quite a bit. Luckily, the alley was mostly empty because otherwise — heaven forbid — there would have been more casualties. The entire incident lasted 32 or 36 seconds,” Omer Barlev, the Public Security Minister, said at the scene of the attack.

Eliyahu Kay, 26, was killed. Kay worked as a tour guide at the Western Wall and was engaged to be married.

Two of the four injured victims have been hospitalized with serious injuries.

“The terrorist was a member of Hamas’s political branch who regularly prayed in the Old City. His wife fled abroad three days ago, and he used standard weapons that are not commonly available in Israel,” Barlev said.

Meanwhile, Hamas has praised the shooting as a “heroic operation” and confirmed that the shooting came from a member of their group.

“Our people’s resistance will continue to be legitimate by all means and tools against the Zionist occupier until our desired goals are achieved, and the occupation is expelled from our holy sites and all of our lands,” spokesman Abdel Latif al-Qanou said.

On Monday, Israel’s internal security agency, or Shin Bet, said it had recently arrested over 50 members of a Hamas cell in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem areas.

According to ABC News, the Shin Bet said it had uncovered the Hamas cell in recent weeks and that militants “were involved in establishing a terror infrastructure and money, armaments, weapons and material for preparing explosives were apprehended.”

Photo courtesy: Sander Crombach/Unsplash

Amanda Casanova is a writer living in Dallas, Texas. She has covered news for ChristianHeadlines.com since 2014. She has also contributed to The Houston Chronicle, U.S. News and World Report and IBelieve.com. She blogs at The Migraine Runner.