IDF finds underground shaft near West Bank home of Hamas terrorist who killed two soldiers

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) disclosed on Monday the discovery of a hidden underground shaft in proximity to the residence of a Hamas terrorist responsible for the fatal shooting of two Israeli soldiers during an attack in the West Bank on Friday. The shaft, measuring around 15 meters in depth and relatively narrow, was located near the assailant's house in Hebron, a city situated in the West Bank.

Although not unheard of, underground shafts are uncommon in the West Bank, unlike in Gaza and Lebanon, where Hamas has extensively utilized tunnels in their military operations due to the IDF's greater control and surveillance in the region. The IDF conducted a search of roughly 500 Palestinian homes and other locations across the West Bank, primarily in the Hebron area, in response to Friday's attack.

Additionally, an unidentified electronic device was discovered within the shaft, which was subsequently handed over to investigators for further analysis. Staff Sergeant Ron Yonatan Roytman, 23, from Ashkelon, and Sergeant Yuval Shai Svilem, 20, from Hod Hasharon, were identified as the two soldiers who tragically lost their lives during the assault.

Roytman, a squad commander, and Svilem, a combat soldier with the Ari Battalion (775) of the Search and Rescue Brigade, were both killed in combat at the Judea Junction when two terrorists in a car, armed with an M4 machine gun and a pistol, commenced gunfire on the soldiers at the scene.