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Israel said its forces killed on Monday five alleged Palestinian gunmen in a raid in the occupied West Bank, after a days-long search for suspects in a shooting near Jericho.
Hamas Islamists confirmed its fighters were among the dead, saying in a statement the Gaza-based group was mourning members of its military wing killed “in an armed clash with the Zionist occupation”.
The early morning Israeli raid came amid a spike in Israeli-Palestinian violence and after days of what Jericho authorities have described as a “siege” on the city since the shooting attack late last month.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the two suspected assailants and three others were killed on Monday by agents from the Shin Bet domestic security agency and soldiers.
Israeli forces “took out five of those terrorists, two of whom had tried to carry out the attack” on January 28, the premier said. An Israeli security official, requesting anonymity as they were not authorised to speak to the media, told AFP the army was holding the bodies of the Palestinian dead.
Both Israelis and Palestinians have used the remains of people killed in clashes or attacks as bargaining chips throughout the conflict.
The army said in a statement “a number” of armed men were killed in a gunfight during the raid on the Aqabat Jabr refugee camp at the entrance to the city, which lies close to the Jordanian border. It reported no casualties among the Israeli forces.
An AFP photographer saw bullet holes covering the metal door of a wooden hut in the camp, while blood soaked into the floor inside.
Young Palestinians set tyres ablaze to block a road leading into Jericho, while shops and schools were shut as residents observed a general strike after the raid. The Palestinian health ministry said one person remained in critical condition after being shot in the head by Israeli forces.
Violence is rare in Jericho, a popular destination for tourists who are drawn to the ancient city’s religious and cultural sites.
