Two members of the Temporary International Presence in Hebron (TIPH) were killed Tuesday night when a terrorist opened fire on their vehicle near Halhoul, just north of Hebron. A third international observer, who was lightly wounded in the attack, said that the gunman clearly knew he was shooting at TIPH peacekeepers as he emptied an ammunition clip of his assault rifle from close range.

"I was sitting in the back seat, my male colleague drove, and the female colleague sat next to him," Turkish observer Capt. Hussein Osam Salam told Israel Radio. "We saw a Palestinian wearing a police uniform, armed with a Kalashnikov, standing in the middle of the road. He pointed the weapon at us and fired. We called out that we are from TIPH."

Despite the fact that their vehicle was clearly marked in red with the organization's logo, the Palestinian continued to shoot, Salam said. "My colleagues were hit. The driver's blood splashed on my face, and I was hit, too. He emptied his magazine, didn't check to see if we were all dead, and fled."

The casualties were identified as Deputy Head of Operations Turtug Cengiz Toytunc from Turkey and observer Catherine Berruex from Switzerland. The two were the first members of the TIPH to be killed since the force was set up in 1994, following the killing of 29 Muslim worshipers by Jewish settler Baruch Goldstein at the Machpelah Cave.

Arnstein Averkil, the Norwegian commander of TIPH, told ynet that the three observers were on their way from Hebron to Tel Aviv when the shooting attack occurred, just after 8:30 p.m. Tuesday night. He said the three were wearing civilian clothing, and were not protected by bulletproof vests or helmets.

IDF troops located in the area of the shooting heard the shots, and arrived at the scene. The gunman fired at them and the soldiers returned fire. The army said soldiers were in constant communication with the TIPH commanders throughout the entire incident, and assisted with the evacuation of the wounded observer for medical treatment in Israel.

Judea and Samaria police spokesman Rafi Yaffe said the terrorist gunman fled to one of the nearby villages or to Hebron. Police believe terrorists intended to target an Israeli vehicle and the attack was a case of mistaken identity. According to an initial investigation into the incident, the gunman was a member of an Islamic Jihad cell responsible for many shooting attacks in the Hebron area, ynet reported.

Palestinian security officers told reporters initially that IDF soldiers had shot and killed the TIPH observers. The Palestinians issued a statement that said, "The Israeli army bears full responsibility for this crime." But the testimony of the surviving observer proved the Palestinian claims to be false.

Members of the TIPH have frequently been accused of siding with the Palestinian population of Hebron and accusing the city's small community of Jewish settlers of instigating much of the violence. In a statement issued after Tuesday's attack, the Hebron Jewish community said: "The murders of the... members of TIPH proves terror has no borders or restrictions, it attacks all. We call on the countries of Europe to draw conclusions and stop supporting the PLO and other murderers and focus all efforts to quell terror in Israel and the entire world."

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