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2023 Ramot Junction attack

SOLVED2022Ramot Junction, Jerusalem3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026

Documents violence · crimes against children — written to inform, not to shock.

Illustrative

On 10 February 2023, three Israelis were killed and four more were injured when a Palestinian man rammed his car into a bus stop in Ramot, an Israeli settlement in East Jerusalem. The assailant was shot dead at the scene by a police officer. The fatalities included two children, aged 6 and 8, and a 20-year-old man. Police labeled the attack an act of terrorism.

The attacker was identified as 31-year-old Hussein Qaraqa, a Palestinian citizen of Israel and resident of Isawiya. According to the account, social media activity, primarily on Facebook, showed that Qaraqa had made statements supporting Palestinian militant groups, including Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Lions' Den. During the 2022 Gaza–Israel clashes he expressed support for Palestinian Islamic Jihad and regularly praised Palestinians who had carried out attacks on Israeli soldiers and civilians. Qaraqa had reportedly been released from a psychiatric hospital a few days before the attack, and his uncle told Palestinian media that he suffered from severe back pain. Israeli police subsequently arrested a relative of Qaraqa and his brother for expressing intent to carry out similar attacks.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad both praised the attack as "heroic." The Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, the armed wing of Fatah, which governs parts of the West Bank, also welcomed the attack.

In response to the attack, the Israeli cabinet approved the legalization of nine settlement outposts in the West Bank. Israeli authorities announced plans to fortify 300 bus stops to prevent future attacks, with the Jerusalem municipality later planning to fortify an additional 700 stops in areas considered less urgent. The Knesset also passed a law enabling the revocation of Israeli citizenship from convicted terrorists who receive payments from the Palestinian Authority.

International reaction included condemnation from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who called the targeting of civilians "repugnant and unconscionable" and expressed solidarity with Israel. The United Arab Emirates' Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the "terrorist attack" and rejected all forms of violence and terrorism. The European Union Ambassador to Israel, Dimiter Tzantchev, expressed horror and stated the EU's unequivocal condemnation of terrorism. UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and German Ambassador to Israel Steffen Seibert also issued statements condemning the attack and offering condolences. US Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland called on all parties to avoid actions that would aggravate the situation and to protect prospects for a political solution.

Key facts

Victims
On file
Date
2022
Location
Ramot Junction, Jerusalem
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 2022

    During the 2022 Gaza–Israel clashes, Hussein Qaraqa expressed support for Palestinian Islamic Jihad on social media, according to reporting.

  2. 2023-02

    Hussein Qaraqa was released from a psychiatric hospital a few days before the attack.

  3. 2023-02-10

    Hussein Qaraqa rammed his car into a bus stop at Ramot Junction, Jerusalem, killing three Israelis (including two children aged 6 and 8, and a 20-year-old man) and injuring four others; he was shot dead at the scene by a police officer.

  4. 2023-02-10

    Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades praised the attack; international leaders including US Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned it.

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People

  • Hussein Qaraqa

    CHARGED

    31-year-old Palestinian citizen of Israel identified as the perpetrator who rammed a car into a bus stop; killed at the scene by police, so was never formally tried, but is described in reporting as the assailant behind the attack.

    citation on file

Places

Common questions

What happened to the victim?
On 10 February 2023, a Palestinian man drove his car into a bus stop in the Ramot settlement in East Jerusalem, killing three Israelis, including two children, and injuring four others before being shot dead by a police officer.
Where did the crime happen?
Ramot Junction, Jerusalem.
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved. Last verified July 2026.

Sources

  1. 2023 Ramot Junction attackwikipedia · Wikipedia · 2026-07-07
  2. Contemporaneous coverage — Associated Pressnews · Associated Press · 2026-07-07
  3. Contemporaneous coverage — CNNnews · CNN · 2026-07-07

Last verified JUL 2026