The occupation army claimed in a statement that "two Palestinians arrived at the site and carried out a shooting and stabbing attack," which resulted in the injury of an Israeli who was later pronounced dead.
"Israeli army forces and other security personnel at the site opened fire on them and killed them," he added, without revealing their names.
The Israeli occupation army indicated that its forces are currently besieging the village of Halhul, near the Gush Etzion settlement, and setting up checkpoints in the area.
For its part, the Israeli ambulance service (Magen David Adom) reported that a 20-year-old Israeli man was seriously injured in the operation, before later succumbing to his injuries.
The Israeli army radio reported that the victim worked as a security guard at the mall where the attack took place.
Earlier today, Israeli Channel 13 reported that "large forces of the Israeli army and police were deployed at the Gush Etzion Junction, following a report of gunfire."
For its part, Hamas mourned in a statement on Thursday the "two heroic martyrs who carried out the operation. We affirm that this operation comes within the context of a legitimate response to the escalating crimes of the occupation against our Palestinian people, and in light of the ongoing massacres, assassinations, and brutal attacks carried out by the occupation army and settler militias, which have not spared children, women, or the elderly."
The movement said: "The heroic deeds of our people in the West Bank and their eloquent messages to the occupation continue, as the heroes of Hebron confront us with a heroic stabbing and shooting operation at the Gush Etzion settlement junction north of Hebron, hours after a stabbing attack in the town of Rummana, west of Jenin."This comes as the Israeli occupation army continues its military operations in the camps in the northern West Bank, which began in the Jenin camp and expanded to the Tulkarm and Nur Shams camps since January 21.
In parallel with the genocide in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army and settlers escalated their attacks in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, resulting in the deaths of at least 994 Palestinians, the injury of nearly 7,000 others, and the arrest of more than 18,000 others, according to Palestinian data.
This comes as Israel, with full US support, has been committing genocide in Gaza since October 7, 2023, leaving more than 195,000 Palestinians dead or wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 10,000 missing, in addition to hundreds of thousands displaced.
