Three Israeli police officers were killed in a shooting operation in the southern West Bank governorate of al-Khalil on Sunday morning, Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported. 

According to the Israeli newspaper Maariv, two Israeli police officers were critically injured and one was seriously wounded in a drive-by shooting on Route 35 east of the Tarqumiyah military checkpoint. Israeli emergency services rushed to the scene in an area to the northwest of the city of al-Khalil. Israeli emergency services later announced the death of the three injured soldiers.

#WATCH | Israeli occupation ambulances move the wounded IOF soldiers as a result of a shooting operation in al-Khalil as military reinforcements arrive at the area.#WestBank #Palestine https://t.co/4fk3GZILeF

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) September 1, 2024

Later, Israeli media reported a high security alert at the site of the shooting, as military reinforcements arrived at the scene.

It is worth noting, as per the Israeli Army Radio, that 11 bullets were fired at the targeted vehicle, and the shooting took place one kilometer from the Tarqumiya military checkpoint.

The operation was conducted amid an ongoing Israeli aggression on the northern governorates of the West Bank in Jenin, Tulkarm, and Tubas. This aggression coincides with continued incursions into several cities and towns across the West Bank. 

Maariv reported that the Palestinians who carried out the operation safely withdrew from the site. Israeli authorities launched a large-scale search operation in an attempt to locate them, with Israeli occupation forces storming the town of Idhna amid heightened security.

#WATCH | High security alert at the site of the shooting operation that targeted an Israeli occupation police vehicle near Tarqumiyah, northwest of al-Khalil.#WestBank #Palestine https://t.co/jqLMBN6NIj

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) September 1, 2024

Meanwhile, commenting on the operation, Israeli media highlighted that "three attacks were carried out in the West Bank within 3 days under the nose of the Israeli army and the Shin Bet."

The Israeli media noted that "the deadly attack took place half an hour after the army opened the checkpoints in the area."

Al-Mardawi to Al Mayadeen: Netanyahu's policies to be met with fiercer resistance

Senior Hamas official Mahmoud al-Mardawi told Al Mayadeen that the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, "bears responsibility for all the ongoing escalation in the region."

Commenting on al-Khalil’s operation, he affirmed that "Netanyahu's criminal policies will be met with fiercer Resistance, and all attempts to isolate one region at the expense of another will not succeed."

He also stressed that "attempts to buy time and impose facts on the ground through decisions and measures will be met with more steadfastness and escalation."

Read more: Resistance inflicts confirmed casualties among invading IOF troops

Responses to Israeli aggression come from southern West Bank

Early on Saturday, Palestinian Resistance fighters conducted a dual operation in the Gush Etzion and Karmei Tzur settlements near al-Khalil in the southern West Bank, as Israeli attacks on the northern West Bank intensified. Palestinian Resistance fighters planted two explosive-laden cars in two separate locations, in attacks that shook the Israeli regime. 

The attacks injured at least four Israelis including the Etzion Brigade commander. As a result of the dual attacks, Israeli occupation forces have increased their military presence in al-Khalil and have imposed a near blockade on the governorate. Yet, Palestinian Resistance fighters were still able to attack the police vehicle on Sunday morning and deal confirmed casualties among occupation troops. 

A few hours after the dual operation, the al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, released a video titled: "The response came to you from the south of the proud West Bank," stressing that "more is yet to come..."

The video posted by the al-Qassam Brigades included a reminder of the statements of its military spokesperson, Abu Obeida, who emphasized that "mobilization in the West Bank, al-Quds, and the '48 [occupied] territories is inevitably coming."

Read more: Israeli soldier killed as Palestinian Resistance ambush Jenin invaders