On Jan. 27, a Palestinian gunman murdered at least seven Israeli civilians outside a synagogue in Neve Yaakov, an Israeli settlement in occupied East Jerusalem.

According to police, at around 8:13 p.m., the gunman arrived at the synagogue by car and waited until Shabbat prayers had ended. Reportedly, he first shot an elderly woman and a motorcyclist before opening fire at people outside the Ataret Avraham synagogue. The gunman fled the scene toward the Palestinian neighborhood of Beit Hanina, where he was confronted by police officers and shot dead after opening fire on them while attempting to flee on foot. The attacker has been identified as Khairi Alqam, a 21-year-old resident of East Jerusalem.

Seven people were murdered in the attack, five men and two women, ranging in age from 20 to 70. At least three other people were wounded.

The shooting took place on International Holocaust Remembrance Day. It was the deadliest Palestinian attack since the Jerusalem yeshiva attack in 2008. Palestinian and Israeli sources stated that about 50 people have been arrested since the attack, mostly members of the perpetrator’s family.

The father of the attacker expressed joy for his son’s actions and said that he was as happy as he was at his son’s wedding. Dozens of Palestinians congregated in impromptu gatherings across the Gaza Strip to celebrate the attack. Similar celebrations, including fireworks, sweets, gunfire and car honking, were reported in West Bank cities.

Many nations and international organizations issued statements of condemnation, including the 15 members of the U.N. Security Council.