Three Israelis killed in West Bank shooting amid rising tensions

Following the attack, Israeli Army Radio reported that the military imposed a cordon around villages in the area as part of a search for the suspects, who are believed to have fled to a nearby Palestinian village.

Rising tensions in the West Bank

The shooting came hours after two Palestinians, including a 17-year-old boy, were killed by Israeli forces in separate incidents in the West Bank on Sunday, according to the Palestinian Fatah party and the Palestinian Health Ministry.

Palestinian media reported that Israeli forces opened fire on the home of a 37-year-old man in a town south of Jenin. The Health Ministry said the teenager was killed during an Israeli raid in the Askar refugee camp near Nablus.

The Israeli military said its troops killed an armed militant, confiscated weapons, and dismantled an explosives lab in the West Bank. Forces also fired on militants who allegedly hurled explosives at them in the Nablus area, with the military saying, "A hit was identified." The incident is under review.

Jenin’s role as a flashpoint

Jenin, in the northern West Bank, has long been a stronghold for Palestinian militant groups. Armed factions in the area have resisted repeated efforts by the Israeli military to dismantle their operations.

Last month, Palestinian security forces entered Jenin in an effort to suppress what they called “outlaws” who have established a power base in the city and its adjacent refugee camp.

Hundreds of Palestinians and dozens of Israelis have been killed in the West Bank since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on southern Israel, which triggered the war in Gaza and escalated conflict on multiple fronts.