Israeli police officers wounded in West Bank shooting attack

Israeli police officers wounded in shooting attack

JERUSALEM — Gunmen opened fire and wounded three Israeli police officers in the West Bank on Monday, Israeli police said.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said shots were fired at a police vehicle traveling near Hebron. He said police forces were searching the area for suspects.

Israel’s emergency services reported three people wounded at the scene — two in serious condition from gun shot wounds to the chest.

Israeli vehicles have been frequently targeted by Palestinian militants in West Bank drive-by shooting attacks, but such attacks have diminished considerably in recent years.

Thanks to the relative calm and increased security coordination with the Palestinians, Israel has considerably eased travel restrictions in the West Bank.

The last fatal West Bank shooting attack took place in December, when a 40-year-old rabbi was shot in the head. Last March, two police officers were killed in a shooting attack in the Jordan Valley. Their killers have never been apprehended.