Jerusalemites Lament Hamas Bus Stop Shooting that left 4 Killed, 16 injured

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Locals in Israel's West Jerusalem lamented the reported shooting that left three people killed and 16 injured in the area on Thursday. According to local media, two gunmen opened fire against a group of civilians at a local bus stop. Hamas reportedly claimed the shooters were members of the Palestinian group, and that the assault was a response to the 'crimes' committed by the Israeli side in Gaza. "It's not the first time that we have had such things happen to this country", complained Shira, a student who displayed Israeli flags near the bus stop in solidarity with the victims. "For three or four, I don't know how many times, [we] tried to make peace with people who don't want peace. They want the whole land. Then, they want the rest of the world. That's what Jihad did. They want to take over the Western culture", said Gershom, a local. The shooting came amid rising tension after Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping over 200 according to Israeli officials. Israel declared war on the group and a 'complete siege' of Gaza, with a large-scale campaign of air strikes. A ground incursion began at the end of the third week, with Israeli leaders vowing to 'wipe out' Hamas. Palestinian officials have reported that at least 15,000 people have been killed and more than 36,000 injured at time of publication. Officials also reported that the number of missing people has exceeded 6,000. However, the Ministry of Health has said that it is unable to regularly update those numbers due to a collapse in communication between hospitals in the Strip. The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) claimed that Hamas locations and infrastructure were targeted in the response. However, United Nations experts warned against 'collective punishment' for the people of Gaza, before predicting a 'humanitarian crisis' and then claimed that 'hell is settling in' for the region.