Teenager Killed, at Least 19 Wounded in Twin Jerusalem Bus Stop Bombings

A 16-year-old yeshiva student from the Jerusalem neighborhood of Har Nof was killed, and at least 19 wounded in one of a pair of coordinated bombing attacks at two bus stops near entrances to Jerusalem. Aryeh Shchupak, reportedly a dual Israeli and Canadian citizen, was killed when a bomb exploded alongside a bus near the city’s Central Bus Station during the morning rush hour.  A second bomb exploded about 30 minutes later at the bus stop at Ramot Junction. Israel Police chief Kobi Shabtai said from the scene of the first blast that the bombings bore the hallmarks of attacks that Israel has not seen “for many years,” a likely reference to the wave of terror attacks the country suffered during the Second Intifada. The bombs are believed to have been detonated remotely and were packed with nails to increase the number of casualties. Prime Minister Yair Lapid held a situational assessment Defense Ministry headquarters at the Kirya in Tel Aviv, after which he briefed Opposition Leader Binyamin Netanyahu, who is poised to become the next prime minister. Lapid said after meeting with Israeli military and security leaders: “I want to say from here to the citizens of Israel, we will get to them. They can run, they can hide; it will not help them. The security forces will get to them. If they resist, they will be thwarted. … The State of Israel has been dealing with terrorism since the day it was founded. Our enemies need to know that we stand against them united and strong, with one nation that knows how to stand together in front of those who seek our souls.” Israeli lawmaker Ofer Cassif, of the Hadash-Ta’al party, called the teen killed in the bus bombing a “victim of the occupation.” The bombings came hours after the body of a Druze high school student, an Israeli citizen, who was killed in a West Bank car crash, was stolen by Palestinian gunmen from a hospital in Jenin.