Palestinian militants open fire on Israeli police in West Bank, killing three officers
Palestinian terrorists killed three Israeli police officers on Sunday by firing on a vehicle in the occupied West Bank. Israel has carried out large-scale raids here in recent days. The attackers are currently absconding. The attack took place on a roadside in the southern West Bank. The Israeli army has been firing with terrorists almost daily since the war in Gaza began. Police confirmed that all three killed were officers.
Police said one of the killed officers was Roni Shakuri, 61, from the southern town of Sderot near the Gaza border. His daughter, Mor, also a police officer, was killed in a battle with Hamas militants when they tried to take over the Sderot police station during the October 7 attack.
The Khalil al-Rahman Brigade claimed responsibility
A militant group calling itself the Khalil al-Rahman Brigades claimed responsibility for the shooting on Sunday. Hamas praised the attack as a natural response to the war in Gaza and called for more.
one terrorist killed
Later on Sunday, the army said Israeli forces had surrounded a house in the nearby city of Hebron where the suspected attacker is believed to be hiding. The army said it killed one militant at the scene, but gave no further details. The West Bank has seen a surge in violence since Hamas launched an attack from Gaza on October 7, sparking a war there.
More than 650 Palestinians were killed
More than 650 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank, mostly during Israeli military arrest raids. Most appear to have been militants involved in exchanges of gunfire with Israeli forces, but civilian bystanders and stone-throwing protesters have also been killed.
Violence against Palestinians
The past 10 months have also seen a rise in violence against Palestinians and Palestinian attacks on Israelis. Israel captured the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians want all three areas for their future state, but the last serious peace talks failed more than 15 years ago.
Over 100 settlements in the West Bank
- Israel has built more than 100 settlements in the West Bank, some of which resemble suburbs and small cities. More than 500,000 residents with Israeli citizenship live in the settlements, which most of the international community considers illegal. 3 million Palestinians live in the West Bank under open Israeli military rule.