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Photo:
Israeli emergency personnel stand next to the body of a victim following a shooting attack on a bus in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Armon Hanatsiv, on October 13, 2015. (AFP/Gali Tibbon)

Street scene: (MaanImages/File)
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BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Three Israelis were killed and up to 27 injured, several of them seriously, in four separate attacks across Israel and occupied East Jerusalem on Tuesday, with at least two suspected Palestinian attackers shot dead, Israeli medics and police said.

In the wake of the attacks, Israel's government immediately suggested punitive measures against Palestinians, including the closure of Palestinian neighborhoods in occupied East Jerusalem and arming more Israeli citizens with guns.

One Israeli was killed and 15 others injured in an attack on an Israeli bus in the Jabal al-Mukabbir neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem, a spokesperson for Magen David Adom (MDA) emergency services told Ma'an.

He said that six or seven of the Israelis were seriously injured in the attack, which was allegedly carried out by two Palestinians -- one armed with a gun, the other with a knife, according to Israeli media reports.

A second Israeli succumbed to wounds sustained during the attack, while a 76-year-old man was in critical condition and undergoing surgery, a spokesperson for Hadassah hospital in Jerusalem told Ma'an.

One of the Palestinians was shot dead on scene, while the other was shot and seriously wounded and taken to hospital under police custody, Israeli police spokesperson Micky Rosenfeld said.

The spokesperson for Hadassah said that he was in critical condition, and required artificial support to breath.

Another Israeli was killed when a Palestinian reportedly rammed his car into a bus stop on Malchai Yisrael street in West Jerusalem.

The Palestinian, identified as Alaa Abu Jamal, was shot by Israeli police and taken into custody after leaving his vehicle and allegedly stabbing four pedestrians.

Rosenfeld said the suspected Palestinian attacker was "shot and captured," but it was later reported that he had died from his injuries.

Multiple 'attacks'

Meanwhile, two separate attacks were reported in Raanana, north of Tel Aviv, on Sunday morning, injuring up to eight Israelis, according to MDA.

The emergency service told Ma'an that in the first alleged attack, one Israeli was severely injured and three lightly injured, while the Palestinian, who was reportedly beaten and subdued by Israeli civilians, was in moderate condition.

Israeli media reported that he may also have been shot, and Palestinian sources have disputed that he was involved in an attack.

Rosenfeld said that he was only aware of one Israeli being injured during the attack.

He said that the Palestinian was taken to hospital and was "being questioned."

In the second attack in Raanana, six Israelis were injured, MDA said, one moderately and five lightly.

The Palestinian attacker was in serious condition, the emergency services reported, and was evacuated for medical treatment.

Another stabbing was reported in Holon south of Tel Aviv but Israeli media later confirmed that the attack was not politically motivated.

In another incident in Kiryat Ata, near Haifa, Israeli media reported that Israeli police were looking into the possibility that a Jewish Israeli man stabbed another Jewish Israeli, believing him to be Palestinian.

Punitive measures

In retaliation to the attacks, Israel's Public Security Minister Gilad Ardan immediately pushed for "possible measures to combat the wave of violence."

These included "ordering a closure on Arab neighborhoods in East Jerusalem and also making it easier for citizens to receive permits to carry personal guns," according to a police statement.

Rights groups have repeatedly criticized Israel's "collective punishment" in the wake of violent attacks, and on Monday, the UN agency for refugees called for the "the root causes of the conflict, among them the Israeli occupation" to be addressed.

The attacks come amid soaring tension in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory, which have seen fierce clashes since the beginning of the month.

Five Israelis were injured in four reported stabbing attacks in Israel on Monday, although witnesses have disputed that at least one of the incidents was not actually an attack.

Three Palestinians were shot dead following the reported attacks, including a 17-year-old boy.

Tuesday's incidents will bring the Israeli death toll since the beginning of the month to seven, while Israeli forces have shot dead at least 29 Palestinians in the same period.

In clashes that have broken out across the occupied Palestinian territory, Israeli forces have also shot more than 1,300 Palestinians with live and rubber-coated bullets, according to the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Health.

The clashes were prompted by Israeli army and settler reprisals after four Israelis were killed in two separate attacks at the beginning of October, although tensions had been mounting for weeks.

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