Three Israeli police officers killed in terror attack near Hebron

Israeli security forces stand guard at the scene of a shooting attack, near Tarqumiyah, in Judea, Sept. 1, 2024. Photo by Wisam Hashlamoun/Flash90.

(JNS) — Three Israeli police officers were killed in a drive-by shooting on the morning of Sept. 1 near the Tarqumiya checkpoint some 7.5 miles northwest of Hebron in Judea.

Magen David Adom paramedics treated a male and female officer in their 30s at the scene before declaring them dead. Another male officer, in his 50s, was seriously hurt and evacuated to Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, where he was later pronounced dead.

The Israel Defense Forces initiated a search for the terrorists, who opened fire from a car at the police vehicle with the three officers inside on Route 35 and then fled on foot. The road was closed to traffic and security forces were preparing to search the nearby Palestinian village of Idna.

Israel Police Commissioner Daniel Levy and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir arrived at the scene of the attack.

“I am sure and convinced that together with the IDF we will find and eliminate the despicable terrorists who harmed three of our good policemen,” Levy said at the scene, as quoted by Channel 12. Ben-Gvir was quoted as saying that, “The right to life [of Israelis] prevails over the freedom of movement of the Palestinians.”

The head of the Gush Etzion Council, Yaron Rosenthal, called on the IDF to “start the operation to clean up the nests of terrorism in the Hebron Governorate and the surrounding area.”

On Aug. 31, an IDF soldier was killed and three others wounded during clashes with Hamas terrorists in Jenin in northern Samaria.

The casualty was identified as Staff Sgt. Elkana Navon, 20, from Petach Tikvah.

Also that day, the Hamas terrorist group hailed the previous day’s “double heroic operation” after car bombers wounded three Israelis in the Gush Etzion region of Judea.