Six killed in east Jerusalem shooting, injuries reported

Six people, including a pregnant woman, have now been killed in a shooting incident on the outskirts of Jerusalem, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said during a visit to Budapest.

The Israeli Army Radio said the police suspect the perpetrators were Palestinians from the occupied West Bank rather than from East Jerusalem.

Among those killed is a security officer, while Israeli forces have closed all checkpoints between occupied East Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank, sources told Al Jazeera​​​.

The Hadassah Medical Centre has also reported the death of a sixth person in the shooting.

Israeli emergency service Magen David Adom said seven other people were in serious condition.

The dead included a man "about 50 years old and three men aged around 30", a statement from MDA said, adding it was providing medical treatment to several of the injured.

The late morning attack took place at the Ramot Junction on Yigal Street, and left about 15 people wounded, an earlier statement by MDA said.

Paramedic Fadi Dekaidek, who was at the scene, said the attack was "severe".

"The wounded were lying on the road and sidewalk near a bus stop, some of them unconscious," he said in a statement issued by MDA.

Police said the attackers had opened fire towards a bus stop after arriving in a vehicle.

"A security officer and a civilian at the scene responded immediately, returned fire, and neutralised the attackers," they said in a statement.

Israeli police described the shooters as "terrorists" without saying how many had been involved in the incident.

The ambulance service said earlier that 15 people were wounded and at least five were in serious condition with gunshot wounds. Paramedics arriving at the scene found victims lying on the road and sidewalk near a bus stop, some of them unconscious.

"At 10:13 am (0713 GMT), reports were received... about approximately 15 injured, apparently from gunfire, at the Ramot Junction on Yigal Yadin Street in Jerusalem," a statement by Magen David Adom said.

Police said preliminary reports indicated "several people were injured as a result of the shooting, and the terrorists were neutralised".

It later said paramedics and ambulance crews were providing medical treatment and evacuating five "seriously wounded people" who had been sent to hospitals in Jerusalem.

"Several other victims, with varying degrees of injury, are also being treated at the scene," it added.

Speaking on Israel's Channel 12, a police spokesperson said there were two assailants involved in the attack.

Israeli media reported that the attack had targeted a bus, among other targets.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was holding a meeting to assess the situation after the shooting, his office said.