3 Israelis killed in shooting attack in southern occupied West Bank

ANKARA

Three Israeli police officers were killed and on Sunday in a shooting attack near Hebron in the southern occupied West Bank, according to local reports.

The Israeli ambulance service confirmed that a man and a woman, both in their thirties, were pronounced dead at the scene of the attack. A third victim, a man in his fifties, was taken to a hospital in serious condition. He then was pronounced dead.

Israeli daily Haaretz cited a security source who reported that “several gunmen opened fire toward a car on Route 35.” The source added that Israeli forces are actively pursuing the shooters, though no further details were provided.

The incident comes following the Israeli army’s storming of Hebron, during which they closed the Ibrahimi Mosque, barred worshipers from entering, and conducted raids and searches of homes.

Earlier reports from the daily Yedioth Ahronoth indicated that the incident occurred near the Tarqumiyah checkpoint, north of Hebron, and involved gunfire targeting a bus, leading to multiple injuries.

This attack follows another violent incident on Saturday, where three Israeli officers, including a brigade commander, were injured in a car bomb explosion at the Gush Etzion junction in the southern occupied West Bank. The explosion coincided with an assault on the nearby Karmei Tzur illegal settlement.

The violence comes as the Israeli army continues a devastating military operation in the northern West Bank, the largest since 2002. The operation, ongoing since Wednesday, has resulted in the deaths of at least 26 Palestinians, according to Israeli military sources.

Tensions remain high across the occupied West Bank amid the Israeli onslaught on the Gaza Strip, which has claimed nearly 40,700 Palestinian lives, mostly women and children, since October 7 of last year.

Palestinian sources report that in the same period, at least 674 Palestinians have been killed, nearly 5,400 injured, and over 10,300 arrested in the West Bank.

The escalation follows a significant ruling by the International Court of Justice on July 19, which declared Israel’s decades-long occupation of Palestinian territories unlawful and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi

Anadolu Agency website contains only a portion of the news stories offered to subscribers in the AA News Broadcasting System (HAS), and in summarized form. Please contact us for subscription options.