Gunman kills 2 soldiers at West Bank checkpoint

A gunman attacked an Israeli military checkpoint in the occupied Palestinian territory of West Bank on Tuesday, fatally wounding two soldiers before troops shot him dead, the military said.

The shooting took place in the morning at a military post in Tayasir in the northern part of the West Bank, the military said. "A terrorist fired at the soldiers at a military post in Tayasir," it said, adding the troops killed the gunman during a shootout. Two other soldiers were "severely injured" in the attack, while six were slightly wounded.

Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad praised Tuesday's "heroic" attack on the checkpoint, saying "the resistance will continue until the occupation is defeated". Israeli forces have been engaged in what the army says is "an operation to thwart terrorism" in and around the northern city of Jenin, long a hotbed of militancy.


Israeli commander Major General Avi Bluth, who is responsible for the West Bank, said Tuesday's attack showed the "necessity" of continuing with the offensive in the northern part of the territory.