At least six people were killed in a shooting at a bus stop in Jerusalem on Monday, Israeli authorities said.

Police said two assailants opened fire at a bus stop and then on a bus before security personnel and a civilian returned fire, killing the attackers scene.

Israel's Magen David Adom ambulance service said the dead included a woman and five men, while six others were seriously injured. Hospitals in Jerusalem, where the injured were taken, reported receiving 38 patients, most of whom had light to moderate wounds.

The attack occurred at Ramot Junction, near Ramot, a neighborhood settlement in East Jerusalem.

Citing Israeli security officials, Israel's state-owned Kan TV news reported that they were Palestinians from the villages of Qatanna and Al-Qubeiba in the Ramallah Governorate in the occupied West Bank, armed with a handgun and an improvised submachine gun.

Footage from the scene showed two buses with shattered windows and bullet holes. Dozens were seen fleeing from a crowded bus stop during the morning rush hour. First responders described a chaotic scene covered in broken glass.

No group immediately claimed responsibility.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said he was conducting "a situation assessment with senior security officials following the attack in Jerusalem."

The European Union on Monday condemned the shooting and emphasized the urgent need for a ceasefire in Gaza.

"We condemn this attack, just as we condemn all loss of lives," EU spokesman Anouar El Anouni said. "We call for de-escalation, and this highlights how necessary and crucial a ceasefire is."

The attack occurred during nearly two years of Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip, which have been accompanied by an escalation of violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, as well as an increase in Palestinian attacks against Israelis.

(With input from agencies)