Seven dead, many injured following Jerusalem synagogue shooting

Seven people have died, with many more sustaining injuries, after a gunman attacked a synagogue in Jerusalem on Friday evening.

The gunman, who resided in East Jerusalem, arrived at a synagogue in the Neve Yaakov neighborhood at 8:15 p.m. and used a handgun to carry out the deadly onslaught, authorities confirmed.

The terrorist was killed in a firefight with police officers while trying to escape, according to the Times of Israel. At least five victims have been hospitalized.

Islamic terror group Hamas celebrated the attack, labeling it the "natural response to the attacks against the Al-Aqsa mosque," Haaretz reported. That mosque is situated near many Christian and Jewish holy sites and has long been a venue for both political demonstrations and clashes with authorities.

Hamas spokesman Mohammed Hamada celebrated the attacker as a martyr for the Palestinian cause.

"The Palestinian people will never forget their martyrs," Hamada continued, per Haaretz, adding that they will "avenge their deaths when the time and place are ripe."

"[T]he Neve Yaakov settlement is a heavy burden on the Palestinians in Jerusalem, and Jerusalem has proven to be a great source of martyrs who rise to avenge the Palestinian people and the Al-Aqsa mosque," he concluded.

Earlier this week, Israel staged a raid against Palestinian militants in Jenin, which in turn prompted retaliatory missile strikes and an escalation of hostilities between the groups. Hamada also pointed to the Jenin raid as ranking among the provocations for the shooting.