Attack comes at a time when Israeli-Palestinian tension has increased in recent weeks
Israeli forces have launched a manhunt for the perpetrators of an attack that killed three people in the central city of Elad.
The latest incident of violence took place as the country marked its independence day.
Security personnel, backed by helicopters and drones, set up roadblocks as they searched for what police described as “one or two terrorists” who remain at large hours after the attack.
Defence Minister Benny Gantz announced measures to stop the attackers from “escaping and travelling” to the West Bank. No details on the alleged assailants have been released.
The Magen David Adom emergency response service, which confirmed the deaths, said four others were wounded in the incident, which came after a series of fatal attacks committed by Palestinians and Israeli Arabs in recent weeks.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said “we will get our hands on the terrorists … and ensure they pay the price”.
Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said “the joy of independence day had been interrupted in an instant”, as he condemned the “murderous attack in Elad”.
Mr Gantz announced that a closure of the West Bank, a measure in place to allow Israeli independence day celebrations to go ahead, would remain in force until Sunday.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken tweeted that the US “vehemently condemn(s) the terrorist attack in Israel today”.
“Our hearts are with the victims and the loved ones of those killed. May the memories of those who passed be a blessing,” he said.
Before Thursday’s incident, a string of attacks had killed 15 people since March 22, including an Arab-Israeli police officer and two Ukrainians, in separate attacks inside Israel.
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