Bus Stop Massacre in Jerusalem, Fresh Tower Collapses in Gaza: a Deadly Day on Both Sides

Six people were shot dead at a Jerusalem bus stop on Monday morning as Israeli strikes across Gaza killed at least 40 more Palestinians and flattened yet another high-rise in Gaza City. The two tracks of violence — a commuter-hour attack in the city and a deepening air campaign in the Strip — unfolded within hours, underscoring how brittle the ground remains nearly two years into the war.

Just after the morning rush, two gunmen pulled up by car to the Ramot Junction in northern Jerusalem and opened fire on people waiting at a bus stop, according to Israeli police. An off-duty soldier and an armed civilian shot back and killed the attackers on the spot.

Authorities say six people were killed and several others wounded. Among the dead was a Spanish national; a pregnant woman was among the injured, Israel’s foreign minister said.

Israeli security services identified them as Muthanna Omar, 20, and Muhammad Taha, 21, Palestinians from villages just northwest of Jerusalem in the occupied West Bank. Police later arrested an East Jerusalem resident on suspicion of assisting them.

Checkpoints between East Jerusalem and the West Bank were shut, and the army said it was encircling nearby Palestinian villages as part of a manhunt for any accomplices. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the scene, calling it part of a broader “war on multiple fronts.”

Far-right ministers urged deportations of attackers’ families and called on Israelis to arm themselves. The Palestinian Authority condemned any targeting of civilians. Hamas praised the shooting as a “natural response” but stopped short of claiming responsibility. European leaders issued swift condemnations.

What’s happening in Gaza

At least 40 Palestinians were killed across the Strip since dawn, medics said, as Israel intensified strikes from north to south.

A 17-storey commercial tower in Gaza City was blown apart, one of at least 50 buildings razed during the current push to seize the enclave’s largest urban center. The army again claimed militant use of the tower without providing evidence.

New evacuation maps warned residents to leave parts of Gaza City for al-Mawasi, a coastal area Israel labels a humanitarian zone. Displaced families describe al-Mawasi as overcrowded, under-served, and frequently shelled.

Among those reported dead Monday was Osama Balousha, a local journalist. Palestinian authorities say nearly 250 journalists have been killed during the war — already the deadliest conflict for the media in memory.

Medical teams describe ERs as overwhelmed, short on supplies, and treating waves of blast and gunshot wounds. Aid groups warn many residents cannot evacuate due to injury, age, or lack of transport.

Gaza’s Health Ministry says the overall war death toll has climbed past 64,000, with countless more injured, even as strikes now concentrate on remaining pockets in and around Gaza City.

Israeli jets struck targets in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, with Beirut’s Health Ministry reporting at least five deaths. Israel also reported intercepting Houthi drones near the Ramon Airport. The multi-front tempo — Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, and Red Sea threats — has security officials warning that Israel’s forces are stretched thin.

In Jerusalem, it’s one of the deadliest shootings in years, landing as Israel weighs new hostage-ceasefire proposals and expands its Gaza City operation.

In Gaza, the strategy of systematically collapsing towers is destroying the Strip’s commercial backbone — clinics, schools, small businesses — not just apartments. Even when phone calls precede blasts, residents say there’s nowhere safe to go.

A morning ambush in Jerusalem and another day of collapsing towers in Gaza point in the same direction: the conflict is widening, harder, and more personal for civilians on every side — and the off-ramps look narrower by the day.

With input from Al Jazeera, AP, CBS News, CNN, BBC, and the Guardian.