Jerusalem, Sep 1 (IANS): Three Israeli police officers, a female and two males, were killed after Palestinian gunmen opened fire on an Israeli checkpoint in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, according to Israeli authorities.

The Israeli army said in a statement that the gunmen arrived with a car near the Tarqumiyah checkpoint in the southern West Bank. They fired at a police vehicle before abandoning their car and fleeing the scene, Xinhua news agency reported.

One of the officers killed was Roni Shakuri, 61, from the southern town of Sderot near the Gaza border, police said.

His daughter, Mor, who was also a police officer, was killed in a battle with Hamas militants when they tried to take over the Sderot police station during the October 7 attack.

Israel's Magen David Adom emergency service confirmed that three police officers were killed by the gunshots.

Israeli forces have launched a search for the attackers.

The incident occurred amid the ongoing large-scale raids carried out by the Israeli military in the northern West Bank. The military said that the raids were launched in an attempt to arrest wanted persons and prevent future attacks against Israel.

Tensions have escalated in the West Bank since the outbreak of the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023.

Hamas praised the attack as a "natural response" to the war in Gaza and called for more.