Three Palestinian gunmen were killed Friday morning after Israeli forces responded to gunfire during a West Bank operation to search for illegal weapons.
According to the Palestinian news agency Wafa, three men were killed and eight others wounded in Jenin.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that soldiers identified a suspicious vehicle stationed at the side of a road when gunmen started firing at troops from inside the vehicle. The soldiers responded with live fire.
Israeli forces were operating in two locations overnight in the Jenin Refugee Camp to locate and confiscate illegal weapons. The deadly exchange of gunfire occurred in the second location.
Palestinian gunmen also fired at IDF soldiers in the first location and hurled explosive devices at them. The troops also responded with live fire.
The site of the shooting in Jenin
After the exchange of gunfire in the second location that left the three Palestinian gunmen dead, the IDF said that illegal weapons were confiscated inside the vehicle including two M-16 rifles, a "Carlo" submachine gun, loaded magazines and a military vest.
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The illegal weapons confiscated from inside the vehicle
(Photo: The IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
The Israeli army has increased activity in Jenin and other parts of the West Bank in response to a series of deadly terrorist attacks in Israel in recent months that claimed the lives of 19 people.