UAE strongly condemns terrorist attack near Jerusalem synagogue

The UAE has strongly condemned the terrorist attack near a synagogue in Jerusalem, which resulted in a number of deaths and multiple injuries.

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MoFAIC) affirmed that the UAE expresses its strong condemnation of these criminal acts, and its permanent rejection of all forms of violence and terrorism aimed at undermining security and stability in contravention of human values and principles.

The ministry also expressed its sincere condolences and sympathy to the government of Israel and its people, and to the families of the victims of this heinous crime, as well as its wishes for a speedy recovery for all the injured.

According to earlier reports, a Palestinian gunman killed seven people outside an east Jerusalem synagogue on Friday in a dramatic escalation of violence that followed a deadly raid in the West Bank a day earlier.

The shooting in Neve Yaakov, a Jewish settler neighbourhood of Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, came even as international calls for calm mounted after Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip traded missile fire earlier.

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Police said that at around 8.15pm (1815 GMT), "a terrorist arrived at a synagogue in the Neve Yaakov boulevard in Jerusalem and proceeded to shoot at a number of people in the area”.

"Seven innocent people were slaughtered," police said, adding: "At the end of a shootout and a chase between the police and the terrorist, the terrorist was neutralised and later pronounced dead."

Police have identified the gunman as a 21-year-old resident of east Jerusalem.

The Magen David Adom emergency response service reported a total of 10 gunshot victims, including a 70-year-old man and a 14-year-old boy.