Two Palestinians attacked a Jerusalem synagogue using knives, axes and guns, killing four people the police eventually shot them, officials said.

The attack was considered as the deadliest in Jerusalem in so far, reverberating fears in a city that has already been marred by violence and tensions over a holy site contested by Israel and Palestine, Associated Press reports.

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According to Israeli police, the attack was instigated by terrorists, with the two assailants identified as Palestinians from east Jerusalem.

Militant group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, commended the action but did not claim responsibility for it.

Israeli police spokesperson Micky Rosenfeld said six people, including two police officers, were injured by the assault. The police continues its surveillance for the possibilities of other suspects.

East Jerusalem has seen Israeli police and Palestinian protesters clash for months now.The attack is the culmination of the tensions in  Jerusalem, which has seen a wave of armed assaults by Palestinian protesters against Israelis.

Prior to Tuesday's attack, at least six people have already been confirmed to have died in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Tel Aviv.

Tensions between Israel and Palestine eased last week after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Jordan's King Abdullah II in Jordan. The meeting was an effort to bring back peace in the area months after the brutal conflict around a shrine claimed by both the Jews and Muslims started.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyu announced that Israel will "respond harshly" to the deadly attack, calling it a "cruel murder of Jews who came to pray and were killed by despicable murderers."

The prime minister blamed Hamas and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for inciting the said attack and criticized the international community for ignoring the incitement.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, meanwhile, condemned the attack, calling it an act of "pure terror". He urged Palestinian leaders to condemn the attack.

TagsJerusalem Synagogue Attack, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel-Palestine, Hamas, Gaza