Two Palestinians suspected of the abduction and murder of three Israeli teenagers in June have been killed by Israeli forces, Israel’s military says.
A spokesman said troops searching for Marwan Qawasmeh and Amer Abu Aisha surrounded a building in the West Bank city of Hebron where they were hiding.
“We opened fire, they returned fire and they were killed in the exchange,” Lt Col Peter Lerner added.
The abduction of the teenagers was a trigger of the recent conflict in Gaza.
Col Lerner said the search for Mr Qawasmeh and Mr Abu Aisha had led a special police counter-terrorism unit, Yamam, to a hideout in the Hebron area about a week ago, according to the Associated Press.
Early on Tuesday, Israeli forces entered the ground floor of the two-storey building and killed the two men after coming under fire, he added.
Initial reports said a rocket and a bulldozer were used in the assault.
The Israeli military initially said it had only confirmed that one of the suspects was killed. The other was also believed to be dead, it added, although confirmation would have to wait until his body was recovered.
Chief of Staff Lt Gen Benny Gantz said: “We promised the [teenagers’] families that we would find the murderers. This morning, we did just that.”
“This isn’t a consolation for the grieving families,” he reiterated, “but I hope that knowing we reached their children’s murderers may slightly comfort them.”
One of Mr Qawasmeh’s relatives has already been charged with planning the teenagers’ abduction.
