Escalating Israeli-Palestinian violence claimed six more victims in the West Bank and Gaza on 5 February, as four Palestinians and two Israelis died. In the first incident, two Israeli soldiers were shot dead by two Palestinian gunmen, who were themselves subsequently killed in exchanges with the Israeli army. The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine said that they jointly carried out the ambush. Two more Palestinians died when an Israeli helicopter opened fire with machine guns on the outskirts of Gaza City. Locals said that the two were medical workers. Israeli military sources claimed that they had fired into open spaces to discourage attack, and were unaware of any casualties.