Two Israelis killed in stabbing attack; Palestinian suspect shot dead

At least two Israelis have been killed and two others injured in a stabbing attack by a Palestinian man in Jerusalem's old city, Al Jazeera has learnt.

A man, two women and a toddler were stabbed and injured on Saturday night by a man who was later shot and killed by the Israeli border police near the Lion's gate in Jerusalem.

Israeli police confirmed that the Palestinian, a 19-year-old man, was from al-Bireh, a Palestinian city adjacent to Ramallah in the central West Bank, 15 kilometers north of Jerusalem.

An initial police investigation has revealed that the suspect stabbed several people, took a gun from one of the wounded and fired at tourists and police officers, the Associated Press reported. Police disarmed him.

Israeli soldiers stormed Al-Aqsa mosque and arrested at least 40 worshipers following the attack.

Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, called an urgent cabinet meeting to take place on Sunday to discuss severe measures following the incident.

The UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Nickolay E. Mladenov, condemned the attack on his Twitter account.

"I condemn the brutal terror attack that killed two Israelis in Jerusalem, call on all to stand firm against incitement, prevent escalation," he wrote.

The attack comes amid high tensions in Jerusalem after clashes between police and Palestinians at the flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound.

Al Jazeera