Two explosions near bus stops in Jerusalem during rush hour on Wednesday killed a Canadian youth and injured at least 18 people. According to the police, they were attacks possibly perpetrated by Palestinians.
The first explosion occurred near a bus stop on the outskirts of the city, where crowds of passengers usually wait for buses. The second was registered in Ramot, a settlement in the north of the city.
The victim was identified as 15-year-old Aryeh Shechopek, who was on her way to a Jewish seminary when the explosion occurred. Shechopek was a Canadian citizen, according to Canada’s ambassador to Israel, Lisa Stadelbauer.
The alleged attacks came at a time when tensions between Israelis and Palestinians are high, following months of Israeli raids on the West Bank sparked by a series of deadly attacks on Israelis that have killed 19 people. There has been a spike in recent weeks in attacks carried out by Palestinians.
The violence also comes as former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is holding discussions to form a coalition after national elections and likely to form what is expected to be Israel’s most right-wing government.
