Two Palestinian fighters killed in West Bank raid

JENIN, Palestinian Territories: Israeli forces shot dead two Palestinian militants on Thursday during an arrest raid that sparked gun battles in a West Bank stronghold of hardline factions, said Palestinian officials and Israel´s army.

Muhammad Ayman al-Saadi, 26, and Naim Jamal Zubaidi, 27, were “killed by the Israeli occupation bullets at dawn today during its aggression on Jenin camp,” a Palestinian health ministry statement said.

Israel´s army and Prime Minister Yair Lapid identified both Saadi and Zubaidi as top militants and confirmed their deaths in the operation, Israel´s latest in the West Bank. Deadly violence has surged in the territory since March, when Israel launched near daily raids following a series of deadly attacks targeting Israelis.

The army called Saadi “a high ranking operative in the Islamic Jihad terrorist organisation,” while Lapid described Zubaidi as “a senior member of the Al-Aqsa (Martyrs) Brigade,” the armed wing of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas´s Fatah movement.