Two Israeli soldiers killed in new shooting outside West Bank settlement

All four victims were reported to be in their twenties.

"When I arrived at the scene, I saw four people who had been shot," said Reuven Reuven, a volunter for the emergency response service Zaka. "Two of them were in critical condition and two were taken to hospital in serious condition. After resuscitation attempts failed, the medical team was forced to declare them dead at the scene.

"ZAKA volunteers from the Shai district are dealing with the bodies and clearing the very difficult scene of all human remains.”

Thursday morning's shooting came hours after news of two separate operations in which the IDF tracked down Palestinians suspected of killing Israelis in recent West Bank attacks.

Salah Barghouti — the suspect wanted in connection to Sunday's drive-by shooting at a bus stop — was killed in an operation hours after an Israeli baby died after being delivered prematurely as a result of the attack.

Hours later, Israeli police said Ashraf Naalweh, accused of shooting dead two Israelis in a West Bank industrial zone in October, was found armed near Nablus. He was killed during an arrest raid.

Hamas, which rules Gaza but has operatives in the West Bank, claimed both Barghouti and Naalweh were its members, but did not claim responsibility for the attacks.

Israeli security sources had earlier said they believed Naalweh was a lone agent.