Israeli forces shot dead two Palestinian militants on Thursday during an arrest raid that sparked gun battles in a West Bank stronghold of hardline factions, said Palestinian officials and Israel's army.
Muhammad Ayman al-Saadi, 26, and Naim Jamal Zubaidi, 27, were "killed by the Israeli occupation bullets at dawn today during its aggression on Jenin camp," a Palestinian health ministry statement said.
Israel's army and Prime Minister Yair Lapid identified both Saadi and Zubaidi as top militants and confirmed their deaths in the operation, Israel's latest in the West Bank.
Deadly violence has surged in the territory since March, when Israel launched near daily raids following a series of deadly attacks targeting Israelis.
The army called Saadi "a high ranking operative in the Islamic Jihad terrorist organisation," while Lapid described Zubaidi as "a senior member of the Al-Aqsa (Martyrs) Brigade," the armed wing of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas's Fatah movement.
Palestinian sources familiar with Islamic Jihad who requested anonymity confirmed Saadi was a member of the group.
Zubaidi belonged to a prominent Jenin family whose relatives have been targeted by Israeli forces over alleged militant ties.
Jenin is a stronghold of militant factions in the West Bank, a territory occupied by Israel since the Six-Day War of 1967.
The army said it had entered the town of Wadi Bruqin where "three wanted individuals suspected of involvement in terrorist activities were apprehended".
"During the operation, armed suspects shot at the security forces, who responded with live fire," the army said in a statement.
Lapid praised the raids as "a direct continuation of our uncompromising policy on the fight against terrorism", charging that both Palestinians killed Tuesday "planned and carried out attacks on Israeli territory."
COMMents
SHARE