The Israeli troops were on patrol near a Jewish settlement. Hamas claims responsibility. Three Israeli soldiers were ambushed and shot dead Thursday night while patrolling a country road in the hills south of the embattled West Bank city of Hebron. Militants have now killed 22 Israelis in and around the biblical city in the last two months. The soldiers were sent on foot to guard the road near the Israeli settlement of Beit Haggai, where passing traffic has periodically come under fire. It was a few hours after sunset when the gunmen crept out of hiding and shot all three at close range before fleeing, security sources said. By the time rescue workers reached the junction, the soldiers were dead. Full Story