Israeli Soldiers on Leave Die in Gun Battle with Palestinians

Two Israeli soldiers-on-leave and a woman companion came under attack by four Palestinian gunmen in a jeep while hiking near Hebron on Friday afternoon. The soldiers, who were carrying their rifles, returned fire, killing one of the gunmen and injuring another before being killed themselves. The woman escaped unharmed. Both the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli army say they made arrests in the case. Palestinian authorities recovered the weapons taken from the two slain soldiers and returned them to Israel.