Wong condemns Jerusalem terror attack that killed six

Foreign Minister Penny Wong has condemned the horrific terrorist attack in Jerusalem that killed six people and wounded 12 others, declaring that “terrorism can never be justified”.

Two Palestinian gunmen from the West Bank opened fire on vehicles and pedestrians at Ramot Junction in Jerusalem on Monday morning Israel time, targeting people waiting at a bus stop and passengers on a bus that had just arrived.

“Australia condemns the horrific shooting attack in Jerusalem today that has left at least five people dead,” Wong said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with the families and loved ones of the victims and those injured.”

The attack occurred shortly after 10am when the terrorists arrived at the busy junction and began shooting indiscriminately. A soldier and several civilians at the scene returned fire, killing both attackers.

The victims were named as Levi Yitzhak Pash, 57, Yaakov Pinto, 25, Yisrael Matzner, 28, Rabbi Yosef David, 43, Rabbi Mordechai Steintzag, 79, and Sarah Mendelson, 60.

Six people remain in serious condition, with two in moderate condition and three lightly wounded, according to Magen David Adom emergency services.

Zionist Federation of Australia president Jeremy Leibler described the attack as “a stark reminder of the existential threat facing Israelis every day”.

“We are devastated that at least five civilians have been murdered in cold blood, and many more injured,” Leibler said. “Our thoughts are with the families and friends of the victims.”

Leibler condemned Hamas for praising the attack, saying it served as “yet another reminder that the lives of Israelis are at risk as long as they are in power”.

Executive Council of Australian Jewry president Daniel Aghion told The AJN, “The terrorist shootings on a crowded bus in Ramot are utterly contemptible. The gunning down of six unarmed civilians and the wounding and traumatising of many more, including children, is not resistance. It is cold-blooded murder.

“While Hamas and its apologists falsely accuse Israel of genocide in Gaza, they expect the rest of the world to turn a blind eye to the real genocide that Hamas has been perpetrating from the moment it was founded decades ago, as enshrined in its infamous Charter.  Let no-one be in any doubt that the core issue of the conflict is and has always been Israel’s right to exist in peace and security, and that Israel has every right to defend itself as any other country would in such circumstances.”

Anti-Defamation Commission chairman Dvir Abramovich called the shooting “an unspeakable atrocity that once again reveals the true face of evil”.

“This barbaric act, in which terrorists opened fire on a bus filled with men and women on their way to work, shatters families, extinguishes futures, and leaves a nation in mourning,” Abramovich said.

“Our hearts are broken, and our prayers are with the wounded, the families who have lost their loved ones, and all Israelis scarred by this savage rampage.”

The attack marks one of the deadliest terrorist incidents in Jerusalem in recent months, highlighting the ongoing security challenges facing Israeli civilians in the capital.