The Israeli military said its forces shot dead three Palestinian militants during an operation in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, while Palestinian sources reported a woman killed.
During a raid in the areas of Qabatiya and Jenin, Israeli forces "encountered several armed terrorists who had barricaded themselves inside a structure in Jenin," the military said in a statement.
"During the exchange of fire, they (soldiers) eliminated two of the terrorists and struck an additional operative," it said.
A third militant was killed after he opened fire at soldiers operating in Jenin, the military said, adding that 10 other militants were arrested.
The Ramallah-based Palestinian health ministry said it had been informed by Israeli authorities "about the martyrdom of two citizens" who were shot dead on Tuesday morning.
The ministry said that a Palestinian woman Fayza Ibrahim Abu Ghali, 58, was also "martyred due to occupation's aggression on Jenin". It did not offer further details on how she was killed.
When AFP contacted the military about her death, it did not offer an immediate response.
The health ministry said that another Palestinian, Ahmad Fathi Ahmad Salah, 32, had been killed on Monday "when he was run over by an occupation vehicle in Jenin".
In a separate incident, a Palestinian was killed by Palestinian Authority security forces in Jenin overnight between Monday and Tuesday, according to a statement from PA forces spokesman Major General Anwar Rajab.
He said the individual was "wanted for repeatedly firing at security forces".
In December, PA forces launched a major crackdown on Palestinian militants in Jenin after fighting broke out triggered by arrests of several militants at the time.
Armed factions in Jenin and elsewhere in the West Bank see themselves as more effective resistance to Israeli occupation than the PA, which has limited control over the territory and coordinates security matters with Israel.
Israeli forces have also been waging a weeks-long offensive in the northern West Bank that began around refugee camps regarded as bastions of Palestinian militancy.
It has since expanded to more areas, displaced tens of thousands of people and saw the first deployment of Israeli tanks in the territory in 20 years.
With AFP
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