West Bank: Israel says it shot 3 in retaliation for attack on soldiers

JERUSALEM (Reuters) – The Israeli army said on Tuesday that its troops had “neutralised” three men who opened fire on Israeli forces from a car in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus.

The army did not say the condition of the three men, but Israeli army radio said they were dead.

Palestinian leaders did not immediately react.

Palestinian television showed pictures of a military vehicle blocking access around the scene of the incident, where an ambulance was stationed as well as soldiers leading the investigation.

Violence has escalated in the West Bank over a year due to an increase in the number of Israeli raids, attacks by Palestinians, and attacks by Israeli residents on Palestinian villages.

The city of Nablus in the northern West Bank is a traditional center of Palestinian resistance against Israeli occupation.

The Palestinians want to establish an independent state in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza, the territories occupied by Israel since 1967.

US-mediated talks broke down in 2014 and there is no indication that talks will resume as Israel maintains a military presence over millions of Palestinians and continues to expand settlements in the West Bank, a move many countries consider illegal.

(Reporting by Henriette Chaker; French version Zifan Liu; Editing by Kate Enstringer)