(JTA) — Israeli troops killed two Hamas operatives in a shootout in Hebron.
The Israeli army said in statements that troops raiding the hideout last Friday at first attempted arrest.
The two men, Mamun Natashe and Nasat al-Karmi, were part of the cell responsible for the Aug. 31 murders of four Israelis in a drive-by shooting near Hebron, the army said. Another six men were arrested in the raid.
Hamas claimed responsibility for the Aug. 31 attack, seen as an attempt to derail direct Israeli-Palestinian peace talks launched that week.
Israel launched a major operation tracking the cell in the wake of the attack.
The Palestinian Authority has also said that it has made arrests in the case.
