Israeli troops killed three Palestinian gunmen who attacked a their post in the occupied West Bank on Sunday and a fourth gunman was detained after surrendering, the army said.
Palestinians had no immediate comment on the incident near the city of Nablus in the northern part of the West Bank, among territories where they seek statehood and which has seen a surge in violence in recent months.
The Lions Den, a militant group based in the Old City of Nablus, issued a statement claiming the three as members.
The Israeli army said a group of armed gunmen opened fire on a military post close to the Huwara-Jit junction, near Nablus, an area that has seen repeated violence between Palestinians and Israeli forces and armed settlers.
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The soldiers fired back, killing three gunmen before a fourth surrendered, and confiscating weapons and ammunition, the Israeli army said in a statement.
The incident was the latest in a series of clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinians in the West Bank since Israel launched a crackdown in the wake of a spate of Palestinian attacks last year.
During an Israeli military raid last week on the West Bank village of Jaba, three Palestinian militants were killed.
In the following hours a Palestinian gunman opened fire on a busy Tel Aviv thoroughfare at the start of the Israeli weekend, wounding three people before being shot and killed.
The violence is some of the worst between Israelis and Palestinians in the West Bank in years.
It began last spring after Palestinian attacks against Israelis triggered near-nightly Israeli raids in the West Bank. – Agencies