Hamas, the terrorist group based in Palestine, recently dubbed as 'heroic' the actions by a Jerusalem man who was the prime suspect in the armed attack on seven people in Jerusalem.
Details of the Jerusalem Attack
A news report by The Times of Israel said that Amir Sidawi, 26, shot and seriously injured two individuals and hospitalized five others on Sunday, Aug. 14, in Jerusalem's Old City.
The suspect allegedly shot at cars and a bus near a Western Wall parking lot, which injured at least seven individuals.
The article identified four victims from a Satmar Hasidic family.
According to the report, the family was visiting the Old City close to King David's tomb when the gunman attacked them.
While the mother and the two children did not sustain serious gunshot wounds, the father did.
The article revealed that doctors had to sedate and place him on a respirator to stabilize his condition.
The other seriously hurt victim was a pregnant 35-year-old woman.
Doctors at the Shaare Zedek hospital said that the woman sustained abdominal wounds and had to be induced due to her life-threatening condition.
The woman's child is in stable condition, doctors explained.
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Suspect Surrenders Himself to Police
After an intense manhunt that lasted several hours, Sidawi reportedly hailed a cab from East Jerusalem and walked into the local police station.
The report said that Sidawi surrendered the gun he used in the attack.
Before his surrender, police had to comb through the Silwan neighborhood, where eyewitnesses said the suspect fled after his armed attack.
Police records showed Sidawi had been in jail for five years on criminal charges.
Authorities said there is no indication that the suspect had an accomplice in the brutal attack.
Omer Barlev, Israeli minister of public security, said that the government would chase individuals who attempt to bring down the country and bring them to justice.
"They won't have a moment of quiet," Barlev warned.
Meanwhile, Yair Lapid, Israeli Prime Minister, told reporters that the Israeli Defense Forces and local police are collaborating to bring back the city's security and calm following the attack.
The report said he also wished for the victims' quick recovery from their injuries.
'A Heroic Act of Retribution'
The same news report bared that Hamas quickly praised the brutal attack on innocent civilians.
Hamas commented that Sindawi did a 'heroic act' as retribution for Israel's daily airstrikes on Palestine's Christian and Muslim sites.
The report bared that the armed assault on civilians by Sidawi occurred shortly after intense firefights between Israel's military and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).
The article added that PIJ is based in the Gaza Strip, just like Hamas. Still, the former is seen as the more extreme of the two Islamic terrorist groups.
During the three-day armed exchange, the PIJ fired more than 1,000 rockets at cities in Israel.
The Israeli Defense Forces, in retaliation, held successive airstrikes in Gaza locations where they suspected PIJ members were hiding.
According to authorities in the Gaza Strip, the airstrike killed close to 50 Palestinians. Israel alleged that majority of the dead were hit by 'misfired' rockets from the PIJ.
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