According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, the three assailants, ages 20 and 21, were shot dead immediately after the attack.
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Israeli police said the officer killed was Hadar Cohen, 19.
Since Oct. 1, 27 Israelis and two foreign citizens have been killed in a series of knife, shooting and vehicular attacks by Palestinians.
The officer of the Border Police detail said he saw two men dressed in coats sitting on a bench.
Police opened fire and killed the trio, then defused explosive devices they were carrying.
The ongoing wave of violence started in October, and was initially sparked around East Jerusalem, prompting Israeli authorities to boost police presence in the city, with many deployed in sensitive areas.
Israel’s parliament passed a law on Tuesday expanding police powers, allowing them to stop and frisk suspects without probable cause, the latest attempt to crack down on near-daily Palestinian attacks on Israelis.
The member of the leftist Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) said preparations for another war have included rebuilding attack tunnels destroyed by Israel two years ago. The other gunmen were killed by Israeli police in the area. A third Israeli was wounded in that stabbing.
She was killed last week in a Palestinian stabbing attack in Beit Horon, where she was on her way to a visit with her grandparents. Most have been stabbings, although there have also been occasional shootings.
Along with Hamas’ announcement on Wednesday morning, the group released a promotional video depicting the underground realm of its tunnel operations along with other apparent militant training.
Palestinians say it is rooted in frustrations stemming from almost 50 years of “wrongful” Israeli occupation.
The attack marked an escalation over previous attacks in Jerusalem in recent months.
Palestinian media reported that they all came from the town of Qabatiya, near Jenin in the northern West Bank, while Israel’s Shin Bet security agency said they had no prior involvement in terrorist activities.
Until now, most acts of violence have tended to be carried out by opportunistic lone wolves, usually Palestinian teenagers armed with stones or knives or using cars.
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Ismail Haniya, Hamas’s leader in Gaza, called the two men “martyrs” and praised “those who work silently underground for us to live in dignity on earth”. “The lethality of attacks has been increasing”.
