Two Palestinian security officers carried out a resistance operation near the Gush Etzion settlement bloc, marking a significant escalation that unsettled the zion*st entity and exposed the fragility of its security coordination with the Palestinian Authority (PA) amid mounting Palestinian anger.

A 20-year-old Israeli security guard was killed in the complex attack, which took place at the entrance to the Mountain Mall near the Gush Etzion junction, north of Hebron. The operation came just hours after zionist 

occupation forces shot and killed a Palestinian west of Jenin, claiming he had stabbed and moderately wounded an Israeli soldier.

According to Israeli media, the two officers, armed with knives, attempted to storm the mall, fatally stabbing the security guard at the entrance and seizing his weapon. They then engaged in a brief firefight with Israeli soldiers stationed nearby before being shot dead. The Israeli military described the operation as “complex,” involving both stabbing and gunfire targeting security personnel.

The officers were identified by the Israeli channel Kan as Mahmoud Abed from Halhoul and Malek Salem from Tulkarm, both of whom had served in the PA’s security services for several months. The PA later announced the “formation of an internal investigative committee to examine the incident”, amid criticism over its inability to prevent the operation despite the two officers’ affiliation with its forces. In contrast, Hamas mourned the two men as martyrs, describing the attack as a “legitimate response to the Israeli occupation’s escalating crimes”.

Far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir seized on the incident to criticise the government, saying, “What happened in Gush Etzion is the result of negotiations with Hamas over a prisoner deal.” Addressing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he added, “There must be no negotiations with Hamas, only its elimination.”

Meanwhile, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, speaking from Berlin, claimed that “settlers are the most vulnerable population in the world to terrorism and violence,” calling on European platforms to account for this when addressing “settler violence.”

Al Akhbar report