A Hamas operative used a submachine gun to shoot one dead and injure up to four more in Jerusalem’s Old City on Sunday before being killed by Israeli police.

The attack took place near the entrance to the flashpoint Al-Asqa mosque, the third holiest site in Islam. One civilian suffered serious wounds and two others – both Israeli police officers – suffered light injuries and were released from hospital a few hours later, paramedics said. Another Israeli man in his 30s had a critical head injury and later succumbed to his wounds in a Jerusalem hospital.

Police said that the attacker was a 42-year-old resident of East Jerusalem. Hamas later confirmed that he was a member of their militant group and identified him as Fadi Abu Shkhaidem. His attack, they hailed, was a “heroic operation”.