Jerusalem: Two people wounded in renewed gunfire

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After the attack in East Jerusalem: fears of a new escalation of violence in the Middle East

Photo: RONEN ZVULUN / REUTERS

A day after the bloody attack near a synagogue in East Jerusalem, two people were injured in another gun attack near Jerusalem's Old City.

In an emergency call at 10:42 a.m. (09:42 a.m. CET) there was talk of a terrorist attack in the Silwan district in the eastern part annexed by Israel, the Israeli rescue service Magen David Adom said.

Accordingly, there were "two injured at the scene of the crime".

Since the first attack, Israeli police have arrested at least 42 suspects.

These were relatives and neighbors of the assassin, the police said on Saturday.

It remains unclear whether those arrested are accused of having been involved in the attack or its preparation.

In an Israeli settlement in East Jerusalem, an attacker shot dead seven people near a synagogue on Friday - the international Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Several people were injured.

According to police, the attacker was killed while trying to escape.

According to the police, the 21-year-old lived in the eastern part of Jerusalem annexed by Israel.

According to initial information, he did not belong to an armed Palestinian group, nor was he involved in militant activities.

The police were put on high alert after the attack.

Israel's police chief Kobi Schabtai spoke of "one of the worst attacks in recent years".

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced "immediate countermeasures".

Internationally, the attack sparked concerns about a new escalation of violence in the Middle East.

It came a day after an Israeli army raid on the Jenin Palestinian refugee camp in the north of the West Bank, killing nine Palestinians.

According to the UN, it was the highest number of casualties in a single Israeli operation in the West Bank since the end of the Second Intifada, the Palestinian uprising from 2000 to 2005.

In retaliation, rockets were fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip on Friday.

However, the Israeli army intercepted most of the missiles with its air defense system.

In response to the rocket attacks, Israel launched several airstrikes against Hamas positions in the Gaza Strip.

A further escalation of violence between Israelis and Palestinians had already been feared after the airstrikes.

muk/AFP/dpa