At least 3 people were shot dead on a bus carrying Israelis in the West Bank

Gunmen opened fire on a bus carrying Israelis in the occupied West Bank on Monday, killing at least three people and wounding seven others.

The attack occurred in the Palestinian village of Al-Funduq, on one of the main east-west roads that cross the Gaza Strip. Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service said two women in their 60s and a man in his 40s were killed, and the army said it was searching for the attackers.

Palestinians have carried out dozens of shooting, stabbing and ramming operations against Israelis in recent years, with violence escalating in the region since Hamas led an attack in southern Israel on October 7, 2023.

Israel launches almost nightly military raids across the Strip, which often leads to the outbreak of gun battles with militants. There has also been a sharp increase in attacks on Palestinians by Israeli settlers, prompting the United States to impose sanctions.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health says that at least 838 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank since the start of the war on Gaza. Most of them appear to have been militants killed in battles with Israeli forces, but the dead also include participants in violent protests and civilian bystanders.

Netanyahu pledges to arrest the attackers

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to “reach the vile killers” behind Monday’s attack and “settle scores with them and with everyone who helped them. No one will be spared.”

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

Israel occupied the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East War, and the Palestinians want these three territories as their future state.

About three million Palestinians in the West Bank live under seemingly endless Israeli military rule, with the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority running population centres.

More than 500,000 settlers with Israeli citizenship live in more than 100 settlements across the region, ranging from small outposts on hilltops to sprawling communities that resemble suburbs or small towns. Most of the international community considers the settlements illegal.

Meanwhile, the war in Gaza rages with no end in sight, despite reports of recent progress in long-running talks aimed at a ceasefire and hostage release.

The Israeli air and ground offensive has killed more than 45,800 Palestinians in Gaza, according to local health authorities, who say women and children make up more than half of the dead. They did not mention the number of militants killed. The Israeli army says it killed more than 17,000 fighters, without providing evidence.

The initial surprise attack, which occurred in Israel about 15 months ago, killed about 1,200 people, including several Canadian citizens. About 100 hostages remain inside Gaza, and the Israeli government believes that at least a third of them are dead.

Hamas suffered heavy losses, but regrouped repeatedly after Israeli operations. The army said that militants fired three missiles at Israel from Gaza on Monday, and one of them was intercepted. There were no reports of casualties.

The war has devastated large areas of Gaza and displaced 90% of the Strip’s 2.3 million population, often several times over. Hundreds of thousands are suffering from the cold and rainy winter in camps along the stormy coast.

Aid groups say Israeli restrictions, ongoing fighting and the collapse of law and order in many areas are making it difficult to provide much-needed food and other aid.