Three Israelis killed in suspected Palestinian attack in West Bank

Three Israelis have been killed in a suspected Palestinian attack in the southern West Bank, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported on Sunday.

Two of the victims, both around 30 years old, were killed in the incident near Hebron, according to the Israeli rescue service Zaka. A third individual was later pronounced dead in hospital, according to media reports.

The Israeli military reported that the assailants opened fire on a vehicle in which the three victims were travelling at a military checkpoint. Security forces are currently searching for the attackers in the southern West Bank, it said.

Israel launched a military operation in the northern West Bank on Wednesday, citing a significant increase in attacks on Israelis as the justification for the action. The operation is aimed at targeting Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants.

The situation in the West Bank has deteriorated significantly since the outbreak of the Gaza war which was triggered by the Hamas-led terrorist attack in Israel on October 7.

Since then, according to the Health Ministry in Ramallah, 648 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli military operations, confrontations or their own attacks in the West Bank.