Palestinian factions on Sunday announced joint responsibility for attacking a number of Israeli soldiers nearby Bethlehem, killing four Israelis. In a press release, the Martyr Yasser Arafat Brigade and Fateh Falcon's Group of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades announced responsibility for the armed operation nearby Gush Etzion near the city of Bethlehem.The brigades said that the members opened fire on an Israeli troop carrier, killing four Israeli soldiers and wounding seven others, in addition to the death of two of the brigades' members. The brigades also announced responsibility for opening fire on a settlers' car in Nablus, wounding one settler. It noted that the operations came in response for assassinating Mohammad Alsheikh Khalil and a number of brigades' leaders in the West Bank.
Meanwhile, the Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz on Sunday announced that Israel would punish residents of Bethlehem and Hebron Provinces in southern West Bank in response for the attacks, noting that the government made some procedures against residents, including changing mobility courses for Palestinian citizens. Israeli forces also tightened security around the two provinces setting more barriers and executing more search operations in Bethlehem.