World

Attack in Jerusalem

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A Palestinian gunman open fired on a packed cafeteria at a Jerusalem seminary today, killing eight Israelis and wounding dozens more. It is the worst attack in Israel since April 17, 2006, when a suicide bomber killed six in Tel Aviv. Sketchy details from the Jerusalem Post:

Witnesses said that only one terrorist had entered the building and that he managed to fire 500-600 bullets over the course of 10 minutes before he was killed.

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The incident occurred when at least one terrorist entered the Merkaz Harav Yeshiva in the neighborhood of Kiryat Moshe carrying weapons. The terrorist was not wearing a suicide-bomb belt as earlier reported.

The gunman entered a dining hall where about 80 people were gathered, witnesses said, and opened fire. "There are at least seven killed and 10 people wounded," said Eli Dein, director of Israel's rescue service.

A spokesman for PA President Mahmoud Abbas said he condemns the attacks, whatever that's worth: "President Mahmoud Abbas condemns the attack in Jerusalem that claimed the lives of many Israelis and he reiterated his condemnation of all attacks that target civilians, whether they are Palestinians or Israelis." CNN's Ben Wedeman, who was in Gaza when the news broke, reports that Hamas members took to the streets to celebrate the massacre. This is, unfortunately, something of a post-massacre tradition with Hamas.