At least 10 Palestinians were killed in fighting with Israeli forces in the West Bank town of Nablus on Wednesday. The particularly deadly incident could further ignite tensions between Israelis and Palestinians in the territories.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said that 10 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire during an Israeli military incursion and over 100 were injured. A 72-year-old man was among those killed, Palestinian officials said.
An Israeli military spokesperson refuted those reports, saying in a statement that Israeli forces entered the old city in Nablus in search of three individuals who were wanted in relation to a previous shooting. One tried to escape and two others opened fire on the Israeli forces. All three were “neutralized,” according to the spokesperson.
Israeli forces also exchanged fire with other assailants during the operation and were attacked with stones, explosive devices and Molotov cocktails, according to the statement. Israel claims that two of the suspects were from the Lions Den armed group, while the third was a member of Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
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