The Israeli army says two soldiers were killed in an attack in the occupied West Bank on Friday that also left two suspected gunmen dead.
The army said two soldiers, Staff Sergeant Ron Yonatan Roytman and Sergeant Yuval Shai Svilem, were killed and three others were lightly wounded during an attack by Palestinian gunmen.
The army said it had prevented a “terror attack against Israeli civilians” and that the two suspects, both Palestinians from Hebron, were armed with an M16 rifle and a handgun.
It said the men arrived at an Israeli military position in the morning, triggering an exchange of fire lasting approximately 20 minutes, after which the gunmen were killed by Israeli troops.
The army said its forces prevented the men from advancing further where the attack could have resulted in civilian casualties.
Israel’s military earlier said its soldiers shot and killed two men who had launched an attack near the city of Hebron in the occupied West Bank on Friday morning.
At least five people were injured, including some critically.
The military set up roadblocks and closures in Palestinian towns in the area.
Emergency personnel said five people were injured, some critically and were being evacuated to hospitals in Israel.
A statement from the emergency personnel said gunfire was ongoing as they arrived at the scene of the attack near the Yehuda Junction.
Two men in their 20s had gunshot wounds to their lower limbs, one was unconscious and seriously injured, they said.
The deadly shooting comes as Israeli voters will decide next Tuesday whether to grant Benjamin Netanyahu yet another term as prime minister — or usher in a new era of Israeli politics.
The election comes three years after the Hamas-led attacks on Israel that triggered the war in Gaza.
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