Once the main exit from the Old City of Jerusalem to the north, Damascus Gate - Sha'ar Shkhem in Hebrew or Bab al Amud in Arabic - is still a major thoroughfare and commercial centre of east Jerusalem.

In recent months it has also become one of the main sites for Palestinian attacks, and as a result is being called the "ground zero of terror".

Nearly a third of all the attacks that have taken place in the past four months have been around the gate - and over the past few weeks the gate has been the location of almost half the total number of attacks, with as many as three stabbing attempts on some days.

There are several reasons for the concentration of attacks. Assailants know that they will always find in the area both security personnel and Israeli civilians walking to the Western Wall.

It is an easily accessible area, not just for local residents, but for Palestinians from the West Bank as well, with a bus terminus serving most Palestinian cities.

For those who have decided to carry out an attack and do not know Jerusalem well, the plaza around Damascus Gate is an easily-recognised location.

"All these reasons have combined to make Sha'ar Shkhem a symbol for young Palestinians who want to stab Israelis and to make them do it here," said one Israeli security official.

The numbers of policemen have been beefed up and, following the death of 19-year-old officer Hadar Cohen in an attack last week, only more experienced officers are now deployed there.