Israeli forces kill two Palestinian gunmen in West Bank raid

Israeli forces killed two Palestinian militants Friday as a firefight erupted during a military raid on the occupied West Bank city of Nablus, Israeli and Palestinian officials said.

The Palestinian health ministry announced "two martyrs and three injured as a result of the occupation (Israeli) aggression on Nablus". The Israeli army reported "no injuries" among its forces.

The army said it had entered Nablus to arrest two individuals wanted over a shooting earlier this month at Israeli police in a West Bank settlement that resulted in no casualties.

The Palestinian health ministry in a statement identified the two dead as Khairi Shaheen, 34, and Hamza Maqbul, 32, who the army said "were killed following an exchange of fire with security forces."

"During the activity, weapons which were used by the terrorists were confiscated," the army added.

Witnesses told AFP Israeli troops had entered Nablus, a stronghold of armed Palestinian groups in the northern West Bank, on Friday morning and surrounded a house in the Old City before calling on those inside to turn themselves in.

The Abu Ali Mustapha Brigades, the armed wing of the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), claimed Shaheen and Maqbul as its members.

Friday's raid came days after Israel had launched its largest operation in years in the West Bank, which it has occupied since 1967.

Twelve Palestinians and one Israeli soldier were killed during the large-scale raid on Jenin refugee camp which lasted more than 48 hours and ended Wednesday.

Violence linked to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict this year has killed at least 192 Palestinians, 27 Israelis, one Ukrainian and one Italian, according to an AFP tally compiled from official sources from both sides.

They include, on the Palestinian side, combatants and civilians, and on the Israeli side, mostly civilians and three members of the Arab minority.