Jerusalem terror attack worst in more than two years

Six people were shot to death and at least six others gravely injured in a shooting on a Jerusalem bus stop on Monday morning. The shooting was the deadliest attack in the city since seven people were killed at a synagogue in a nearby neighbourhood in January 2023, before the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war.

Attacks of this kind have become rare in recent years, but they occur in the context of increasing Israeli deaths as a result of conflict.

In addition to the terror attack, the past week saw four young soldiers killed when Hamas managed to throw an explosive device into their tank, as well as Houthi drone and missile attacks on southern Israel, including one which hit Eilat's international airport.

Amir Tibon wrote in Haaretz that the number of deaths destroys the myth of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as "Mr Security".

"Just for the sake of perspective: during the two Palestinian Intifadas, which took place over a period of more than a decade combined, approximately 1,300 Israelis were killed in terror-related incidents. During the tenure of the current government, in office for less than three years, the number of comparable deaths is more than 2,000," Tibon observed.