Israeli soldiers killed three Palestinian gunmen in the West Bank, the territory Israel has partially occupied since 1967 and which Palestinians claim as their own. The Israeli army made it known, saying that the Palestinian men “had opened fire” at an Israeli soldier post near the Jit crossroads, west of Nablus. The Israeli soldiers would then have responded by shooting in turn.
“Three gunmen were neutralized during the firefight and another gunman surrendered,” the Israeli military said in a statement. The news was not commented on by Palestinian sources.
Violence in the area has escalated over the past year, but the situation has worsened since Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned to office last December with the most right-wing government in Israel’s history.