Israel says security forces killed three Palestinian terrorists in the West Bank city of Nablus on Tuesday who had been responsible for recent shooting attacks.
The men were suspected of carrying out at least four shooting attacks against troops and settlers in the West Bank over the past two weeks.
The Shin Bet internal security agency says the men were armed and driving to the city center in a vehicle, and were killed in a clash with security forces. No Israelis were harmed in the shooting, it said.
The dead were identified as Ibrahim al-Nablusi, Adham Mabrouk and Mohammed al-Dakhil, and were part of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade - affiliated with the military arm of the Fatah organization.
Defense Minister Benny Gantz congratulated the security forces and said he had recently ordered stepped-up security in the area. "We will continue our proactive operations, and we will thwart and catch anyone who tries to harm human life," he said.
The most recent attack attributed to the squad occurred on January 29, when a military vehicle came under fire in the northern West Bank.
Two days earlier, troops manning a checkpoint were fired upon near the settlement of Itamar and before that another military post near Nablus, came under fire.
No injuries were reported in any of the incidents.
The military said that a joint force made up of IDF troops, police anti-terror units and the Shin Bet identified the squad and launched the operation. Pictures from the scene show the car the squad was using riddled by bullets.
Public Security Minister Omer Bar Lev also issued a statement commending the troops.
The militant group said the three men are "heroic martyrs" and vowed revenge in a statement circulated on a Fatah-affiliated social media group.
Associated Press contributed to this report
First published: 14:12, 02.08.22