Three Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in West Bank, says army
Jerusalem, Mar 12 (EFE).- Three Palestinians were killed during a gunfight with Israeli soldiers in the occupied West Bank, the Israeli military said on Sunday, amid simmering tensions in the region.
A military spokesperson said the men opened fire at a checkpoint in the city of Nablus, with the soldiers responding “with live fire.”
“Three armed gunmen were neutralized during the exchange of fire,” the spokesperson confirmed in a statement, adding that an additional armed gunman later turned himself in to security forces.
Israeli forces confiscated three M-16 rifles, a pistol and ammunition from the alleged assailants, the spokesperson said.
No injuries were reported among the Israeli forces.
The Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that three other Palestinian workers in a vehicle passing by the checkpoint during the shootout were wounded by bullet shrapnel.
Eyewitnesses told Wafa that Israeli soldiers stormed local shops and seized surveillance footage after the incident, which comes amid escalating violence between Israelis and Palestinians.
Over the weekend, two Palestinians were killed in separate incidents in the northern West Bank, while three people were shot and wounded after a Palestinian shooting attack in Tel Aviv.
Three Palestinians were also shot dead during an arrest raid in the flashpoint city of Jenin on Thursday, days after six others were killed in another operation in a nearby refugee camp.
At least 81 Palestinians, including 15 minors, have been killed so far this year. On the Israeli side, 14 people, including a minor, have died.EFE
sga/smq/ks
