West Bank: 2 Israeli soldiers killed in checkpoint shooting

Two Israeli soldiers have been killed and several others injured in a shooting at the Tayasir checkpoint in the occupied West Bank,Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement.

The IDF said that its troops killed a gunman who opened fire at a military post next to the Tayasir checkpoint.

At least eight soldiers were injured in the attack, two of them seriously, Israeli media say. 

The militant group Hamas and the smaller Islamic Jihad militant group praised the attack, but neither claimed responsibility for it.

Surge in West Bank violence since Gaza ceasefire

Israel has carried out an extensive operation in nearby Jenin in the occupied West Bank over the past weeks to clamp down on what Israel said is militant activity in the city.

The Israeli army said on Sunday that it had killed at least 50 militants since it launched its operation on January 21, shortly after the start of the Gaza ceasefire on January 19.

The Palestinian Health Ministry in Ramallah said Israeli forces have killed 70 people in the territory since the start of the year.

Large parts of Jenin refugee camp destroyed

The Israeli operation has also seen troops leveling buildings in a refugee camp adjacent to Jenin.

On Tuesday, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said the Jenin refugee camp faced decimation.

"The camp is going into a catastrophic direction," UNRWA spokesperson Juliette Touma told reporters in Geneva, saying large parts of the camp had been "completely destroyed in a series of detonations by the Israeli forces".

Edited by: Roshni Majumdar