3 Israelis killed after gunmen target bus in occupied West Bank

TEL AVIV, Israel — Gunmen opened fire on a bus carrying Israelis in the West Bank on Monday, killing three people and wounding eight others. Violence has surged in the territory since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led terrorist attack out of Gaza ignited the ongoing war there.

The shooting occurred in the Palestinian village of Al-Funduq, on one of the main east-west roads crossing the territory used by both Israelis and Palestinians. Israel’s military said two 70-year-old women and a 35-year-old policeman were killed. Widespread operations have been launched in the area looking for the attackers.

Palestinians have carried out scores of shooting, stabbing and car-ramming attacks against Israelis, especially during the past 15 months of the Israel-Hamas war. Israel has launched near-nightly military raids across the territory that frequently trigger gunbattle with terrorists. There has also been a sharp rise in attacks on Palestinians by Israeli settlers, leading the United States to impose sanctions.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to “reach the despicable murderers” behind Monday’s attack and “settle accounts with them and with everyone who assisted them. No one will be spared.”

Hamas praised the attack in a statement, but did not claim responsibility for it.

The Palestinian Health Ministry says at least 838 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank since the start of the war in Gaza. Most appear to have been terrorists killed in battles with Israeli troops.

At least 46 Israelis, including 19 soldiers, have been killed in violent attacks by Palestinian terrorists, according to the U.N.

In Gaza, the war rages on with no end in sight amid recent progress in long-running talks aimed at a ceasefire and hostage release.

The war began when Hamas-led terrorists stormed across the border in a massive surprise attack nearly 15 months ago, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting around 250. Some 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead.

Israel’s retaliatory air and ground offensive has killed more than 45,800 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were terrorists. The Israeli military says it has killed more than 17,000 terrorists.