ANKARA

Two Israeli soldiers were killed on Tuesday and eight others injured in a shooting attack on a military checkpoint in the occupied West Bank, the army said.

A military statement said the casualties occurred in the attack that targeted an army post near the Palestinian village of Tayasir in Tubas city in the northern West Bank.

Israel’s Army Radio said that two of the injured soldiers were in critical condition, while six others sustained moderate and light injuries.

According to the broadcaster, an attacker wearing a green vest similar to Israeli military uniform infiltrated an army guard post near the Tayasir village and opened fire towards the soldiers.

The attacker exchanged fire with Israeli forces for several minutes before he was shot dead, the radio said.

Palestinian group Hamas hailed the attack, vowing that Israeli assaults against Palestinians “will not go unpunished.”

On Jan. 21, the Israeli army launched an assault on Jenin city and its refugee camp, killing at least 26 Palestinians. The offensive was later expanded to the city of Tulkarem, where at least three Palestinians were killed.

The Israeli escalation in the West Bank came after a ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal took hold in Gaza on Jan. 19, following 15 months of Israel’s genocidal war that killed over 47,500 Palestinians and reduced the enclave to rubble.

Since the beginning of Israel’s war on Gaza in October 2023, more than 900 Palestinians have been killed across the West Bank in attacks by Israeli forces and settlers, according to the Health Ministry.