Gunmen attacked a bus and car Monday in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, killing at least three people and wounding seven others, Israeli emergency services said.
The attack happened near the Palestinian town of Al-Funduq.
Israel’s military said its forces were pursuing the attackers and using blockades to cordon off villages in the area.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed condolences for the victims and vowed to find those responsible.
“No one will get away,” Netanyahu said on X.
Violence has surged in the West Bank since the October 2023 Hamas attack on southern Israel and the resulting Israeli military campaign in the Gaza Strip.
Palestinian health officials say Israeli troop fire and attacks by Israeli settlers have killed at least 818 Palestinians in the West Bank during that time, while Palestinians have killed dozens of Israelis.
Gaza ceasefire
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday the United States wants to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip before U.S. President Joe Biden leaves office in two weeks.
But Blinken said if there is no deal by then, he is “confident that it will get its completion at some point, hopefully sooner rather than later.”
The United States, Egypt and Qatar have worked for months to broker a deal between Israel and Hamas, but the warring sides have not come close enough in their terms to reach an agreement.
Basic parameters of a proposed deal include a halt in fighting in Gaza, an increase in humanitarian aid for Palestinian civilians and the release of hostages still being held by Hamas militants.
The war began with the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack in which the militants killed 1,200 people and took about 250 others hostage. There are still about 100 hostages being held in Gaza, with at least one-third of them believed to be dead.
Israel’s counteroffensive has killed at least 45,800 people and injured more than 109,000, according to the health ministry in Gaza. The ministry does not differentiate between militants and civilians in its count.
The United States, United Kingdom, European Union and others have designated Hamas as a terror group.
Some information for this report was provided by from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters
