European Commission, UN and world leaders urge ceasefire after deadly attack in Jerusalem
The European Commission has condemned Monday’s deadly shooting attack in east Jerusalem, stressing that it highlights the need for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
"Civilians on both sides, Palestinians and Israelis, have been suffering for a long time," said Anouar El Anouni, spokesperson for the European Diplomatic Service (EEAS). "It is urgent to break this cycle of violence."
French president Emmanuel Macron also urged an end to "the spiral of violence." Writing on X, he stated: "Only a political solution can ensure peace and stability for everyone in the region." He condemned the attack and expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and the Israeli population.
Belgium’s foreign minister Maxime Prévot likewise voiced concern, posting on X: "I condemn the deaths of at least four Israelis and a dozen others injured in Jerusalem after gunmen opened fire in a bus. I express my sincere condolences to their families. The illegal use of violence both in Israel and in Palestine must cease, to urgently find the way back to peace."
UN rights chief warns of "genocidal rhetoric"
The call for de-escalation was echoed in Geneva, where UN high commissioner for human rights Volker Türk condemned what he described as the "genocidal rhetoric" of senior Israeli leaders regarding Gaza.
"I am appalled by the open use of genocidal rhetoric and the shameful dehumanisation of Palestinians by senior Israeli officials," Türk said at the opening of the 60th session of the UN Human Rights Council. According to him, Israel is committing "war crime after war crime" in the Gaza Strip.
He urged the international community to stop "the flow of weapons to Israel" and to "exert maximum pressure to secure a ceasefire, the release of hostages and arbitrarily detained people, and access to sufficient humanitarian aid in Gaza."
Details of the Jerusalem shooting
The death toll from the shooting has risen to six, with ten others injured, some seriously, according to the Israeli rescue service Magen David Adom. Police confirmed the incident was an attack, stating the "terrorists" had been neutralised.
The shooting occurred on Monday morning at an intersection in the Ramot neighbourhood, in the Israeli-occupied part of Jerusalem. Access roads were immediately closed. "A security officer and a civilian who were at the scene responded immediately, returned fire, and neutralised the perpetrators," police said.
Eyewitnesses reported chaos at the scene. A guard at a nearby bus station reported that two armed men forced their way onto a bus and opened fire. "The bus is riddled with bullets at the front," he said, adding that one of the attackers was also carrying a knife.
© PHOTO RONEN ZVULUN / POOL / AFP
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accompanied by security officials, later visited the site. The Times of Israel reported that the assailants were Palestinians from the Ramallah area in the West Bank, though security services said their identities were still being investigated.
In the aftermath, military barricades between Jerusalem and Ramallah were closed to traffic, affecting nearby Palestinian villages. Reports also indicated that Israeli forces carried out a raid in Qalandia, north of Jerusalem.
Members of Israel's ZAKA search and rescue emergency services transport a body from the scene of a shooting at the Ramot road junction in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem on September 8, 2025. © PHOTO MENAHEM KAHANA / AFP
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