Three Palestinians were killed and several others were arrested in an Israeli military operation in Jenin on Wednesday, while in Jericho, an assailant opened fire on vehicles on Thursday, wounding three people, including a teenager.

Israeli forces on Wednesday killed three people in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. The attack happened during a pre-dawn raid that the military said targeted militants.

Residents told AFP that Israeli forces entered Jenin and its adjacent refugee camp just after midnight (22:00 GMT on Tuesday) and raided several houses. The area in the northern West Bank is a stronghold of Palestinian armed groups and a frequent target of Israeli military incursions.
The Health Ministry said that two men, Muhammad Sabti and Hamza Harawi, were killed in an air strike, and Ayman Azouqa was shot dead by Israeli troops. Four other people were wounded during the raid, the ministry added.The Israeli military said “an aircraft eliminated two armed terrorists; another terrorist was eliminated by sniper fire.” It said that one of those killed had hurled “explosives at the force.” Several “wanted persons” were arrested, the military added.
Soldiers also “destroyed a vehicle in which explosives were found” and confiscated weapons, it said.Witnesses told AFP that the forces used bulldozers to destroy roads in Jenin and its refugee camp.

The military said it had discovered explosive devices buried under roads.

Mourners gathered in the streets of Jenin on Wednesday for a funeral procession. The crowd carried the men’s bodies, preceded by gun-toting men shooting in the air.

In a separate incident in the nearby town of Qabatiya, the Palestinian Red Crescent said Israeli Army fire during clashes with Palestinians wounded three young people on Wednesday.

The military did not immediately respond to AFP’s request for comment.

Israeli raids have increasingly seen the use of aircraft, which had been very rare in the territory until several months ago.

Furthermore, three people, including a boy, were wounded in a gun attack on Thursday that targeted a school bus near the city of Jericho in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

After reports that a militant fired towards “a number of vehicles,” soldiers were sent to the scene near the town of Al-Auja, the military said, adding that soldiers were pursuing the suspect.

The military confirmed that a school bus had been targeted.

A 30-year-old man was in serious condition with gunshot wounds, while a 21-year-old man was less seriously wounded, and a 13-year-old boy suffered shrapnel injuries, emergency services said.

Israeli public radio said the masked gunman started shooting at Israeli cars at around 7:00 AM local time, hitting a car and a school bus.

With AFP