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Israeli emergency personnel remove victims’ bodies from the Jerusalem synagogue where two Palestinians killed four worshippers and seriously wounded seven others. (Photo by Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

Israeli police outside the family home of one of the men who killed four Jewish worshippers in a Jerusalem synagogue hours earlier, Jabel Mukaber, East Jerusalem, November 18, 2014. (Photo by Orly Noy)

The aftermath of a police raid on the home of one of the men who killed four Jewish worshippers in a Jerusalem synagogue hours earlier, Jabel Mukaber, East Jerusalem, November 18, 2014. (Photo by Orly Noy)

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By +972 Blog

Two Palestinian men murdered four Jewish worshippers with a meat cleaver, knives and a pistol in a gruesome attack at a synagogue in the Har Nof neighborhood of Jerusalem Tuesday morning. Eight others were wounded, four seriously. The two attackers were shot dead by Israeli police in a firefight at the scene.

Update: A police officer succumbed to his wounds late Tuesday night, bringing the death toll to five.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu quickly put out a statement blaming Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas, pointing to what he described as their incitement. For his part, Abbas quickly condemned the attack.

According to Palestinian and Israeli media, the attackers were from the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Jabel Mukaber. When their identity became known, residents said, Israeli police closed the entrance to the neighborhood with concrete blocks.

Police were reportedly using the “Skunk” truck to spray putrid water near the attackers’ families’ homes, along with other crowd dispersal means as clashes broke out. Police arrested 12 relatives of the attackers, according to Ma’an, and a number of others were injured.

The attack against the synagogue came a day after a Palestinian bus driver was found hanged inside his bus. Israeli authorities ruled his death a suicide but Palestinians officials and media contend he was murdered by Israelis.

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Fifth victim, Druze police officer Zidan Nahad Seif, succumbs to wounds Tuesday night; seven others also wounded; FBI announces investigation into the attack.

By Nir Hasson, Barak Ravid, Jonathan Lis, Jack Khoury, Gili Cohen and Yair Ettinger for Haaretz

Five Israelis were killed and several others wounded in a terror attack on Tuesday morning in a synagogue in the western Jerusalem neighborhood of Har Nof.

Two assailants were killed at the scene by police.

Seven people were wounded in the assault, including three seriously, two moderately and two lightly. Magen David Adom ambulances administered first aid to the wounded before evacuating them to hospitals in the city. Five were taken to Hadassah University Hospital, Ein Karem, and the rest to Shaare Zedek Medical Center.

A police officer, previously reported to be in critical condition at Hadassh Hospital, succumbed to his wounds Tuesday night.

Some of the wounded were operated during the course of the day and they are now in the care of multi-disciplinary teams of doctors and nurses. The hospital is geared up for their further treatment, the spokesperson said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered authorities to demolish the assailants' homes, following an emergency security meeting convened in his office after the attack. In addition, the Prime Minister also instructed to push forward the demolition of the homes of the perpetrators of previous terror attack, and to significantly increase the enforcement of the law against incitement to terrorism.

Israel Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said two assailants entered the synagogue on Tuesday with knives, axes and guns and attacked worshipers. The attackers were killed in a shootout with police. Samri said the attackers were Palestinians from East Jerusalem.

The shooting occured at the Kehilat Bnei Torah synagogue on Shimon Agassi St., some 5 kilometers from Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial. The Lithuanian synagogue is part of a compound that includes a kolel (a yeshiva for married men) and another synagogue. Residents of the neighborhood said the 6:30 A.M minyan (Jewish prayer quorum) included less people than usual, but there were still dozens of worshipers at the site when the terrorists struck.

The first call to first responders was made at 7:01 A.M. According to police, two terrorists entered the compound and attacked worshipers, who were leaving the synagogue, with guns and axes. Two traffic policemen arrived at the scene separately and were joined by a third police officer. The three engaged in a firefight with the terrorists and killed them. One policeman was critically wounded in the gunfight, and another sustained moderate wounds.

Initially, police suspected there may be a third assailant on the loose in the area, but later stated this was no longer a concern.

Large police forces arrived at the scene after the attack.

Several right-wing protesters gathered near the scene of the attack, calling "Death to Arabs" and "Revenge." In a televised statement to the press, Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat urged Israeli citizens not to take the law into their own hands.

Palestinian sources said the suspects were Ghassan and Oday Abu Jamal, cousins from the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Jabal Mukaber. Residents there said large forces of Shin Bet security personnel arrived there after the attack and entered the suspects' family houses. Residents also reported hearing shots of teargas near the houses. They also said a school near the houses was evacuated. Police said dozens of youths threw rocks and blunt objects at security forces at the scene. Nine people have been arrested so far.

Interior Minister Gilad Erdan said he will act to immediately revoke the permit for Ghassan Abu Jamal's wife to stay in Israel. The woman, a resident of the West Bank, has been living in Israel since 2010. Her husband and her have three children.

Palestinians also reported seeing large security forces in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan.

Security forces have been deployed in great numbers along hotspots between east and west Jerusalem. So far there have been no major incidents there.

In the West Bank, however, some 200 Palestinians and 50 settlers clashed between the settlement of Yitzhar and the village of Urif. Israel Defense Forces and Border Patrol units tried to disperse the crowds with gas grenades.

In the village of A-Ram, north of Jerusalem, some 40 Palestinians clashed with Israeli security forces. According to the IDF, the Palestinians hurled rocks and threw firecrackers at the soldiers, who responded with tear gas and stun grenades. No injuries were reported.

Dozens of Palestinians threw rocks and firebombs at an IDF guard tower near Bir Zeit, Ramallah. Soldiers responded with stun and gas grenades.