The three Israeli teenagers who went missing earlier this month in the West Bank have been found dead.

An Israeli military spokesman said their bodies were found in a pit near the village of Halhul.

Naftali Frenkel and Gilad Shaar, both aged 16, and 19-year-old Eyal Yifrach were last seen at a junction near Hebron as they hitchhiked home.

Israel had accused Hamas of abducting the three teens, which the Palestinian militant group repeatedly denied.

The teenagers' families have been informed, the military said. More information is expected after an emergency cabinet meeting.

The Israeli military has set up blockades and closed down whole areas around Halhul, a Palestinian town next to Hebron.

The area is just a few miles from where the teenagers were last seen.

Israeli media reported clashes between Israeli security forces and Palestinians in the area on Monday evening.

BBC