Israeli forces shot and killed three Palestinian militants during an exchange of fire in the occupied West Bank, officials confirmed Tuesday, marking the latest incident in a deadly cycle of violence gripping the region for more than a year.
The Israeli military said the clash occurred near the Jit junction west of Nablus when Palestinian gunmen opened fire on troops stationed in the area. Soldiers from the elite Golani reconnaissance unit returned fire, killing the attackers on the spot. No Israeli soldiers were injured.
“Three armed gunmen were neutralized during the exchange of fire and an additional armed gunman surrendered himself to the forces,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement. The military said its troops seized three M-16 rifles and a pistol used by the assailants.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health identified the dead as Jihad Mohammed al-Shami, 24, Uday Othman al-Shami, 22, and Mohammed Raed Dabeek, 18. The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, an armed faction affiliated with President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah movement, later claimed the men as members.
In a separate incident Tuesday, Israeli police reported that forces in the Jenin refugee camp also killed three suspected militants in an operation targeting planned attacks. Hamas confirmed that two of those killed were its members. The Israeli military said troops engaged the militants in a firefight before carrying out airstrikes on their positions.
The Jenin camp, a longtime stronghold of Palestinian militant groups including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, has been the focus of intensified Israeli raids since January. Large sections of the camp have been reduced to rubble as the Israeli military continues what it describes as an effort to dismantle terrorist networks operating from the area.
The latest clashes come amid surging tensions across the occupied West Bank. According to Palestinian officials, Israeli forces have killed more than 200 Palestinians this year, including both civilians and militants. Over the same period, more than 40 Israelis and foreign nationals have died in attacks by Palestinians.
Recent weeks have seen a rise in deadly confrontations. On Friday, an Israeli settler shot and killed a Palestinian man near an illegal settlement in the northern West Bank. A day earlier, a Hamas gunman opened fire in Tel Aviv, injuring three people before being killed by Israeli security personnel. Hamas said that attack was retaliation for an Israeli raid that left three of its fighters dead earlier in the week.
The escalation follows months of unrest since Israel’s far-right government took power, with settler groups emboldened to carry out violent attacks against Palestinians. In February, settlers rampaged through the town of Huwara, torching homes and vehicles in an assault Israeli officials later described as a “pogrom.”
Israel’s expanding settlements in the West Bank—home to between 600,000 and 750,000 Israelis—remain a key source of tension. The United Nations and most of the international community consider the settlements illegal under international law. Palestinians claim the territory, along with East Jerusalem, as part of a future independent state.
During a recent visit to Israel, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reaffirmed Washington’s “iron-clad” commitment to Israel’s security but expressed deep concern about rising settler violence against Palestinians. He warned that such actions could “trigger more insecurity” and further destabilize the region.
Reuters
