Three dead as West Bank violence escalates

Jenin, Palestinian Territories: Israeli security forces on Thursday raided a West Bank city after three fatal attacks rocked the Jewish state in over a week, with two Palestinians shot dead and a third killed after launching a stabbing attack on a bus.

The violence comes after a Palestinian armed with an M-16 assault rifle killed five Israeli civilians in the streets of Bnei Brak, an Orthodox Jewish city near Tel Aviv, on Tuesday night.

That shooting took to 11 the number of people slain in attacks carried out since March 22 by Israeli Arabs and Palestinians, including two killings linked to the Islamic State group. The latest bloodshed erupted in the West Bank city of Jenin on Thursday morning when Israeli soldiers mounting an operation to arrest suspects linked to the Bnei Brak attack returned fire after being shot at, the army said.

"During the activity, Palestinian gunmen opened fire at the troops (who) responded with fire," the army said, adding one soldier was hospitalised. The Palestinian health ministry said "the Israeli occupation forces" killed two Palestinians, males aged 17 and 23, in Jenin, and that another 15 were wounded.