(Central News Agency) At least seven people were killed in a gun battle outside a synagogue in Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem on Sunday, with the gunman shot dead at the scene, police and medics said.

According to a police statement, at around 8:30 tonight, a terrorist came to a synagogue next to Neve Yaakov boulevard in Jerusalem and opened fire on crowds in the area.

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"Police officers rushed to the scene and confronted the terrorist before shooting him dead," a police statement said.

A police spokesman confirmed that seven people had died.

"This is a very serious terrorist attack," said Fadi Dekidek, an emergency paramedic with the Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel's emergency medical organization.

The MDA reported that a total of 10 people were shot, including a 70-year-old man and a 14-year-old teenager.

The United States has strongly condemned the deadly attack outside a synagogue in East Jerusalem on the eve of Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to Israel, saying it stands in solidarity with Israel.

"It's horrific," State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters.

"We condemn this apparent terrorist attack in the strongest possible terms. Our commitment to Israel's security remains strong and we remain in direct contact with our Israeli partners," he said. 1120128