Security forces embarked on a large-scale manhunt in the West Bank town of Ya'bad on Tuesday after the killers of IDF soldier Amit Ben Yigal.
IDF forces canvassed the area and questioned residents in order to trace the perpetrators' footsteps, mostly focusing on their family.
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IDF forces detain Palestinians in the West Bank of Ya'bad during a manhunt after the killers of Sergeant Major Amit Ben Yigal
Several suspects were detained. However, the investigation does not focus on them.
The military reported that riots broke out near the place of the incident.
The deceased, 21-year-old Sergeant Major Amit Ben Yigal, and his comrades from a reconnaissance unit of the Golani Brigade were carrying out arrests of four suspects in Ya'bad, the IDF said.
As the troops were set to leave the village, a large stone was lobbed off a rooftop. The assailant laid wait for Ben Yigal to look up and then dropped the rock on his head. The soldier sustained critical injuries.
The soldier was transferred to the Rambam Healthcare Campus in Haifa where he was pronounced dead.
Hamas, the terror group ruling the Gaza Strip, issued a statement praising the killer, saying such attacks will carry on until Israel withdraws of the contested territory.
"This incident proves the ability of our people in the West Bank to continue their struggle against the occupation until the Israeli military and the settlements are pushed out," read the statement.
The organization claimed the Palestinians are fighting Israel's intention to annex parts of the West Bank and they alone will determine the fate of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, adding that the Palestinians will prevail despite the United States' assistance to Israel.