Israeli troops kill 4 Palestinian gunmen in arrest clashes

JERUSALEM – At slightest 4 Palestinian gunmen were killed successful shootouts with Israeli information forces during a sweeping West Bank apprehension cognition cracking down connected the Islamic militant radical Hamas connected Sunday, the Israeli subject said.

It was the deadliest unit betwixt Israeli troops and Palestinian militants successful the occupied West Bank successful caller weeks and came amid heightened tensions pursuing this year’s 11-day warfare betwixt Israel and Hamas successful the Gaza Strip.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said a Palestinian was changeable dormant adjacent the bluish West Bank metropolis of Jenin and 3 others were killed successful Biddu, northbound of Jerusalem. The Israeli subject said an serviceman and worker suffered superior injuries during the apprehension successful Burqin, adjacent Jenin, and were airlifted to a infirmary for aesculapian treatment.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said successful a connection that Israeli information forces successful the West Bank moved against Hamas operatives “that were astir to execute panic attacks successful the precise contiguous future.”

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He said the soldiers successful the tract “acted arsenic expected of them” and said his authorities gave them afloat support.

Lt. Col. Amnon Shefler, an Israeli service spokesperson, said Israeli forces progressive successful a associated cognition with the Shin Bet interior information bureau and the Border Police came nether occurrence portion carrying retired arrests successful the West Bank.

He said the purpose was “to halt a Hamas violent enactment compartment that is operating successful Judea and Samaria with an intent to transportation retired panic attacks,” referring to the West Bank by its biblical names.

He said 4 Hamas operatives were killed and respective others were arrested successful the overnight operation.

The authoritative Palestinian quality bureau WAFA said 22-year-old Osama Soboh was killed during clashes surrounding an apprehension successful the bluish West Bank colony of Burqin, adjacent Jenin. There were nary contiguous details connected the deaths successful Biddu.

Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, praised those killed arsenic “heroic martyrs” and claimed the 3 killed successful Biddu arsenic members of its equipped wing. It blamed their deaths connected the “continuing coordination” betwixt the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority and the Israeli authorities and called connected its supporters to “devise tactics and means that harm the force and drain it with each imaginable forms of resistance.”

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Hamas spokesperson Abdulatif al-Qanou blamed the rival Palestinian Authority, which has constricted autonomy implicit areas of the West Bank, saying caller meetings betwixt Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli officials “encouraged the concern again to prosecute the resistance.”

The Palestinian Authority, whose information forces coordinate with Israel to suppress Hamas and different militant groups, condemned the killings and said the Israeli authorities was “fully and straight liable for this bloody greeting and the crimes committed by the concern forces."

Last month, Israeli troops clashed with Palestinian gunmen during a precocious nighttime raid successful Jenin, sidesplitting 4 Palestinians. Recent months person seen a emergence successful unit successful the West Bank, with much than 2 twelve Palestinians killed successful sporadic clashes with Israeli troops and during protests.

Sunday's clashes came a week aft Israel recaptured the past of six Palestinian fugitives who tunneled retired of a maximum-security Israeli situation and were connected the lam for implicit a week. Several of the escapees were from Jenin, and 2 were caught determination aft an extended search.

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Israel captured the West Bank successful the 1967 Mideast warfare and successful the decades since has established dozens of settlements wherever astir 500,000 settlers reside. The Palestinians question the West Bank arsenic portion of their aboriginal authorities and presumption the settlements arsenic a large obstacle to resolving the conflict.

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