Three Israeli Police Killed in September 1 West Bank Shooting Attack, Reports Reuters

Correction Notice: The original article dated September 1 has been corrected to update the number of Israelis killed, as mentioned in paragraphs 15 and 16.

By James Mackenzie and Ali Sawafta

JERUSALEM – On Sunday, three Israeli police officers lost their lives when their vehicle came under gunfire near Hebron in the occupied West Bank, according to Israeli officials. This incident adds to a series of violent outbreaks in the region.

In response to the shooting at the Idna Tarqumiyah Junction, security forces surrounded a house in Hebron and killed a Palestinian suspect believed to have been involved in the attack, as reported by the military.

Since last Wednesday, hundreds of Israeli troops have been conducting raids throughout the West Bank in one of the largest military operations seen in recent months. Israel claims this campaign is focused on dismantling Iranian-backed Islamist militant groups.

The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that two Palestinian brothers were shot by Israeli forces in Kafr Dan, situated near Jenin in northern West Bank, where Israeli operations have been ongoing.

The extensive deployment of army and police units across the West Bank highlights the mounting pressures faced by Israeli security forces, who are engaged on multiple fronts, with little progress in efforts to halt the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

"We are fighting on all fronts against a cruel enemy who wants to murder us all," stated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He also referred to six Israeli hostages whose bodies were recovered from a tunnel in Gaza on Sunday after being killed while in captivity.

As the Prime Minister spoke, Israeli troops continued their operations in Jenin, where militant groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad reported that their fighters were active.

HEAVY DAMAGE

This operation, now in its fifth day, has led to significant destruction of infrastructure in the city and the nearby refugee camp, with numerous homes and buildings damaged and streets disturbed by armored bulldozers searching for roadside bombs.

Since the operation began, at least 24 Palestinians have been killed, most of whom were identified by Hamas or Islamic Jihad as members of their groups. Israeli forces have made around 110 arrests, according to the Palestinian prisoners’ organization.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a hardline member of Israel’s security cabinet, has called for intensified action against militants in the West Bank. "We need to do now what we didn’t do that awful night and launch a preemptive strike,” he asserted, referencing the deadly Hamas attack on October 7.

"We are committed to eliminating terrorism on all fronts," he added while addressing the situation following Sunday’s attack.

From October 7 to the end of August, at least 34 Israeli soldiers and civilians have lost their lives due to Palestinian attacks and confrontations outside Gaza and in northern Israel, according to data from Israel’s internal security agency, Shin Bet.

This figure excludes at least 47 Israeli casualties resulting from assaults by Hezbollah, an Iranian-supported group based in southern Lebanon.

Simultaneously, Israeli forces have reportedly killed nearly 680 Palestinians, including armed combatants, youthful stone-throwers, and uninvolved civilians.

While Hamas remains embroiled in a conflict with Israel in Gaza, it commended the West Bank attack but refrained from officially claiming responsibility, stating it was a "natural response to the massacres and genocide in the Gaza Strip."

Hamas officials called for armed individuals to direct their efforts against Israeli forces involved in what they describe as ongoing attacks against Palestinians in Gaza. In response, Israel has denied allegations of committing acts of genocide during the Gaza conflict, which escalated following the initial Hamas assault on October 7.