West Bank ? Two off-duty Israeli soldiers hiking in the West Bank were killed Friday by Palestinian gunmen but before they died, they managed to fire back at their assailants and kill one of them, the military said.

A second Palestinian assailant was seriously wounded in the firefight, the army said.

A woman who was with the two Israelis but escaped unharmed told Israel Radio they had been hiking in the hills outside the Palestinian town of Hebron not far from the Jewish settlement of Kiryat Arba where all three lived. They were approached by a jeep carrying a group of Palestinian gunmen who fired at them, said the woman, who was not identified.

The army confirmed her account and said the two Israelis, who were both in their 20s, returned fire with assault rifles they were carrying before they died. They killed one of their attackers and wounded another, the army said.

Palestinian security officials confirmed one Palestinian died in the clash.