Israel: 'Palestinian gunmen' open fire in Beersheba bus station

Two gunmen, believed to be Palestinian, have opened fire at a bus station in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba, killing one person and wounding several others. One of the gunmen had a rifle and the other was armed with a pistol when they stormed into the bus station and began randomly shooting and stabbing people.

Four officers were among those injured in the attack. Police spokesman Doron Ben-Hamo told Channel 2 TV that one of the gunmen was killed in the attack and the other was wounded, after security forces returned fire. Footage found on WhatsApp shows a man lying on the floor of the station. A dozen gunshots are then heard as people flee the scene. After the attack, a crowd of Israelis gathered outside the bus station chanting "death to Arabs" The Telegraph reports.

The latest incident comes after a series of attacks ensued in the region over the past month, which has raised fears of a full-scale Palestinian uprising in Israel.

Earlier today, around 30 Jewish worshipers clashed with local Palestinians after illegally entering Joseph's Tomb compound in Nablus. The area is under Palestinian control, but Jews are allowed to pray there, if they have a permit. On Friday, a Palestinian man posing as a journalist stabbed and wounded an Israeli soldier in the West Bank city of Hebron.

In the past month, eight Israelis have been killed in attacks by Palestinians, most of them stabbings. 42 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli security forces following since an upsurge in violence on October 1.

In response to the recent spate of violence, Israel has tightened security around the country and constructed a barrier separating Jewish and Arab neighbourhoods in east Jerusalem.

Israel has deployed 300 soldiers and built concrete barriers outside Arab neighbourhoods of east Jerusalem, where most of the attackers have come from, reports the Associated Press. US Secretary of State John Kerry said he would meet the Israeli and Palestinian leaders in the coming days in a bid to negotiate an end to the fighting.