An Israeli policeman has been killed by a Palestinian near Hebron.

Command Sergeant Major Yehoshua (Shuki) Sofer, 39, died in hospital after Palestinians opened fire near a West Bank settlement on Monday morning.

Two others were injured during the attack and are being treated in a Jerusalem hospital for chest and stomach wounds.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said it was “definitely” a terrorist attack; however, IDF officials also said they thought it was individually planned rather than being directed by a larger terror cell.

It is the eighth time Israeli police teams have faced terrorist shootings in two years . Two policemen were killed in the Jordan Valley in 2009.