What's happened
Three Israeli police officers were killed in a shooting attack near Hebron, coinciding with intensified Israeli military operations in the West Bank. Hamas praised the attack as a response to ongoing violence in Gaza, where fighting continues despite ceasefire talks.
Why it matters
What the papers say
According to The Independent, the Khalil al-Rahman Brigade claimed responsibility for the attack, while Hamas described it as a 'natural response' to the violence in Gaza. The South China Morning Post reported that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu emphasized the need to combat terrorism on all fronts, reflecting a hardening stance within the Israeli government. The UK has expressed concern over the military operations in the West Bank, urging restraint and adherence to international law, indicating a growing international unease about the situation.
How we got here
The violence in the West Bank has escalated since Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel, which triggered a broader conflict. Israeli military operations have increased, targeting militant groups in response to ongoing threats.
More on these topics
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Israel, formally known as the State of Israel, is a country in Western Asia, located on the southeastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea and the northern shore of the Red Sea.
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Hamas is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist militant organization. It has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades.
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The Gaza Strip, or simply Gaza, is a self-governing Palestinian territory on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, that borders Egypt on the southwest for 11 kilometers and Israel on the east and north along a 51 km border.
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The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs, are an ethnonational group comprising the modern descendants of the peoples who have lived in Palestine continuously over the centuries and who today are largely culturally and
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The West Bank is a landlocked territory near the Mediterranean coast of Western Asia, bordered by Jordan to the east and by Israel to the south, west and north. The West Bank also contains a significant section of the western Dead Sea shore.