Two Palestinian fighters opened fire at a military checkpoint near Hebron in the southern West Bank, killing two Israeli soldiers.
Those killed were Staff Sergeant Ron Yonatan Roitman, 23, from Ashkelon, and Sergeant Yuval Shai Svilem, 20, from Hod Hasharon, who were serving at a checkpoint set up to inspect Palestinian cars leaving the West Bank. Roitman was the commander of his squad.
The two fighters who killed the soldiers in the attack were martyred.
Following a preliminary investigation, the Israeli military said the Palestinian fighters had planned a larger attack targeting Israeli civilians on Route 35. However, it said they attacked a temporary checkpoint there instead after realising they could not reach the highway.
The Israeli military said it was not yet clear whether the Palestinian fighters had acted independently or were linked to a wider network. Hamas, which has a strong presence in Hebron, described the fighters who carried out the attack as heroes but has not formally claimed responsibility.
Following the attack, the Israeli military launched raids in the Hebron area. Work has begun to demolish the homes of the two fighters who carried out the attack, while the Israeli military said Hebron and other Palestinian neighbourhoods and towns in the area were now sealed off.
Since the Hamas attack on 7 October 2023, the Israeli military, which says terrorist groups operate in various parts of the West Bank, has emptied refugee camps, forcing many thousands of residents out and leaving them homeless.
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