Two explosions at bus stops outside Jerusalem killed one person and wounded at least 14 others on Wednesday, local health officials said, in what Israeli police said appeared to be an attack by Palestinian militants.
They attributed the initial explosion, which occurred during rush hour, to an explosive device planted at a bus station near the city exit. The second – about 30 minutes later – hit a bus stop near an urban settlement on the east side of the city.
Police spokesman Eli Levi told Army Radio that the first explosion was caused by a powerful explosive device.
“There hasn’t been such a coordinated attack on Jerusalem for many years,” Levi added.
Israeli army radio said the explosive devices were concealed in bags and at least one of them contained spikes to maximize impact.
Security camera footage broadcast by the N12 news showed the moment of the first explosion with a sudden plume of smoke rising from the bus stop. Television showed debris strewn across the site, which was cordoned off by emergency services.
Israel’s ambulance service said 12 people had been taken to hospital since the first explosion and three people were injured in the second explosion. One of the wounded died in hospital, the Shaare Zedek Medical Center said.
The blasts come after months of tension in the West Bank after the Israeli army applied tough measures in response to a series of attacks in Israel.
In Gaza, a spokesman for the Palestinian militant group Hamas praised the blasts in Jerusalem but declined to take responsibility.
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