Three terrorists armed with sub-machine guns, knives and bombs open fire on Border Police near Damascus Gate.

Two female border police officers aged 19 and 20 have been seriously wounded in a shooting attack close to Jerusalem's Damascus Gate.

Both officers have been evacuated to Jerusalem's Hadassah Mount Scopus hospital.

One of the casualties is in critical condition and on a respirator, while the condition of the second victim has stabilized somewhat and is now classified as moderate-to-serious.

According to initial reports, three Arab terrorists armed with concealed Carl Gustav sub-machine guns, knives and bombs were spotted acting suspiciously by Border Police officers close to Damascus Gate.

When officers approached, one of the terrorists produced his ID, and another suddenly opened fire, wounding two officers.

Other officers in the vicinity returned fire, eliminating all three.

The terrorists have been identified as Palestinian Arabs from the Jenin area in Samaria.

It is the second attack this week, following Sunday's shooting attack between Bet El and Ramallah, just north of Jerusalem.

Several other attacks have also been thwarted this week by alert police officers, including several planned stabbing attacks.