In a drive-by shooting on Thursday two Israelis soldiers were killed and two were critically injured in Central West Bank.
A Palestinian terrorist opened fire at the bus stop near Givat Assaf, killing two soldiers, critically injuring a third and seriously wounding a civilian woman, before fleeing the scene.
The two soldiers have been names as Sergeant Yovel Moryosef and Corporal Yosef Cohen.
Israeli army sources believe that the attackers stole one of the rifles belonging to the soldiers.
Hours later, the army said a Palestinian man attempted to ram his car into a group of soldiers who were taking part in the effort to find the gunman outside the town of el-Bireh, adjacent to Ramallah. The troops opened fire, killing the man, later identified by Palestinian officials as Hamdan al-Ardah. One soldier was lightly injured.
The attack was in close proximity to another terror attack that occurred earlier in the week, injuring a seven-months pregnant woman who was critically injured and whose baby died as a result.
The Israeli military deployed additional infantry battalions to the West Bank on Thursday and also established a dedicated command centre — made up of officers and soldiers from the Kfir Infantry Brigade, which specializes in counter-terrorism — to lead the effort to find the perpetrator.
The West Bank has seen a substantial upsurge in attacks on Israeli civilians and soldiers in recent weeks, after months of calm in the area.
On Wednesday night, the Israeli military arrested a number of suspects who were believed to have carried out the attack. On Thursday, the army said the search for additional perpetrators was ongoing.
