Israel’s medical emergency service announced the death of a third person in Sunday’s shooting attack in the occupied West Bank.
It said the death of a 50-year-old man had been confirmed at a hospital where he had been evacuated after being shot along with two others who had previously been declared dead in the attack near Tarkumiya crossing near the city of Hebron.
According to the Israeli army, all three were policemen stationed at the Tarqumiya checkpoint in the Hebron region, where the attack took place. Shots were fired at a vehicle carrying military personnel, triggering a manhunt for the gunmen.
Earlier, the military said two Palestinians were killed while attempting to carry out separate bombings overnight in the southern West Bank.
At least 22 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military since Wednesday in simultaneous raids in several cities across the northern West Bank.
Hamas and Islamic Jihad have said at least 14 of the dead were members of their armed wings.
Israel said it had killed “14 terrorists” since Wednesday in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967.
Large-Scale Operation
Israel pressed on with a large-scale military operation in the occupied West Bank since Wednesday.
Since Friday, soldiers have concentrated operations on Jenin and its refugee camp, a densely-populated community which has long been a bastion of Palestinian armed groups.
As Palestinian militants battled Israeli troops in Jenin refugee camp, a local official said soldiers had destroyed most of the streets while power and water had been cut off.
Clashes and explosions persisted in the city, and both the health ministry and the Red Crescent reported two more Palestinians killed there.
Visiting the city on Saturday, Israeli military chief of staff Herzi Halevi said his forces “have no intention of letting terrorism (in the West Bank) raise its head” to threaten Israel.
Early on Saturday, an AFP photographer in Jenin reported ongoing clashes and said the streets were mostly empty.
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“I think it’s the worst day since the start of the raid,” said Jenin Government Hospital director Wisam Bakr.
Water and electricity were cut off from the hospital during the raid, forcing it to rely on a generator and water tank, he told AFP.
Later on Saturday, Bashir Matahine from the Jenin municipality told the official Palestinian news agency Wafa that electricity and water “are completely cut off” in Jenin refugee camp and that “80%” of the city’s neighborhoods no longer have water.
He said Israeli bulldozers had dug up 70% of the streets, “destroying the water and sewage networks, as well as cables for electricity and telecommunications.”
Violence has surged in the West Bank since Hamas’ October 7 attack.
The United Nations said on Wednesday that at least 637 Palestinians had been killed in the territory by Israeli troops or settlers since the Gaza war began.
Twenty Israelis, including soldiers, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during army operations over the same period, according to Israeli official figures.
Britain, France and Spain have all expressed concerns about Israel’s West Bank operation.
With AFP
