According to the military, three armed Palestinians were killed in a shootout with Israeli soldiers in the West Bank. The men opened fire on an Israeli military post west of Nablus on Sunday night, the army said. Soldiers then fired back with live ammunition. An army spokesman confirmed that the Palestinians were killed.
Another gunman surrendered and was arrested, the army statement said. The soldiers secured three rifles, a pistol and ammunition from the attackers.
The situation in Israel and the Palestinian territories has been very tense for a long time. Since the beginning of the year, 13 Israelis and one Ukrainian have been killed in Palestinian attacks. In the same period, 81 Palestinians lost their lives, for example in confrontations with the Israeli army or in their own attacks. A further escalation of violence is feared during the Muslim month of fasting, Ramadan, which begins in ten days.
In Israel, the right-wing religious government last week presented a new law introducing the death penalty. It provides for the death penalty for terrorists who kill an Israeli citizen for racist reasons.