Israelis kill three Palestinians as violence spirals
JERUSALEM, April 2, (AFP) - Israeli security forces killed three Islamic militants when they came under fire Saturday during a raid in the West Bank, police said, the latest deaths in a surge of violence.
The bloodshed comes amid heightened tensions ahead of the start of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, that has seen violence spiral in Israel and the occupied West Bank.
Last year during Ramadan, clashes that flared between Israeli forces and Palestinians visiting Al-Aqsa mosque in annexed east Jerusalem led to 11 days of conflict between Israel and the Gaza Strip's Islamist rulers Hamas.
On Saturday, Israeli police said security forces killed three members of the Islamic Jihad militant group who had opened fire during an operation to arrest them near the northern West Bank city of Jenin. Four Israeli soldiers were wounded during the operation, one of them seriously, the police said.
The Islamic Jihad confirmed the three deaths. “We mourn the death of our three hero fighters,” the armed wing of Islamist movement said.
Hamas issued a warning to the Israelis. “The enemy's policy of assassination in the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem will not provide it with so-called security,” Hamas said.
Saturday's clash is the latest in a spate of bloody violence in Israel and the West Bank since March 22.
Hebron, the biggest city in the West Bank, is home to about 1,000 Jewish residents living under heavy Israeli military protection, among more than 200,000 Palestinians. The West Bank, which has been occupied by Israeli forces since 1967, is home to nearly 500,000 Jewish settlers, living in communities regarded as illegal under international law.