Israel kills two Hamas men in West Bank

Israeli forces shot dead two Hamas militants held responsible for the killing of four Israelis a month ago.

Israeli forces in the West Bank shot dead two Hamas militants held responsible for the killing of four Israelis a month ago,a senior Palestinian security official said.

An Israeli military spokeswoman confirmed only that forces were operating in the area around Hebron,long a flashpoint of Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The senior Palestinian security official said Nashat al-Karmi and Mamoun al-Natshi were killed in an early morning raid and had been identified by family members. Hamas media later confirmed the killings.

The official said the two belonged to Islamist Hamas and were behind the killing of four Israelis on the eve of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks begun last month. Hamas,which controls the Israeli-blockaded Gaza Strip,opposes the talks.

The Israelis were shot in their vehicle on a highway near Hebron in the most lethal attack in the West Bank in four years.

Reuters Television footage showed Israeli forces surrounding a building in the early morning on Friday,with gunfire heard in the area. The footage also showed Israeli soldiers approaching a body lying on the ground.

Palestinians said medical workers were unable to reach the scene.