Two Blasts Rock Yerushalayim, Leaving Teen Dead, Hy”d, 18 Wounded

Two explosions at a pair of bus stops in Yerushalayim on Wednesday morning left one yeshivah student killed, Hy”d, and at least 18 people wounded.

The first explosion took place near the Central Bus Station at the entrance to Yerushalayim. Authorities believe the bomb may have been left in a bag on the bus. The second took place minutes later at a bus stop near the Ramot interchange, where many people catch buses to destinations west of Yerushalayim.

Police officials said they are treating the bombings as a coordinated joint attack. Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai said authorities are looking into the possibility of other bombs around the city.

“The goal is to prevent the next explosion,” said Shabtai. “This means bringing all the forces out, not only here, but also to other areas. It could be one terrorist who placed the two explosives, or it could be two. All the intelligence services will focus on this issue.”

The bombs were detonated remotely and were reportedly packed with nails and bolts.

Yerushalayim Mayor Moshe Leon was on the scene where he received an overview from the security forces. The mayor directed the municipal Welfare Division and the Education Department to offer assistance to the families of the injured.

The injured were taken to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital, Hadassah Mt. Scopus Hospital and Shaare Tzedek Medical Center.

While Palestinians have carried out stabbings, car rammings and shootings in recent years, bombing attacks have become very rare since the end of a Palestinian uprising nearly two decades ago. The Islamic terrorist group Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, praised the perpetrators of the attacks, calling it a heroic operation, but stopped short of claiming responsibility.

The spokesman for Hamas, Abd Latif al-Kanou, said, “The Zionist occupation is paying the price today for its crimes and aggression against our people and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and we have warned about this repeatedly. Our people will not remain silent in the face of this, and the outrage over Al-Aqsa will explode and spread in all regions.”