Israeli army kills three Palestinian fighters in Jenin raid, detains people across West Bank

Israeli forces killed three Palestinian fighters near Jenin in the occupied West Bank amid a large military crackdown, following the detention of several people across various cities in the territory, local media reported.

The fighters were killed in the town of Kafr Qud west of Jenin as Israeli forces surrounded the area with bulldozers and military vehicles, restricting access to the location.

According to The New Arab’s Arabic language sister site, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, Israeli troops clashed with the fighters before an explosion was heard.

During the assault, Israeli forces opened fire at the fighters, who have been identified as Abdullah Muhammed Omar Jalmana, 27, Qais Ibrahim Muhammad al-Baytawi, 21, and Ahmed Azmi Arif Nashti, 29.

Israeli forces also bombed a vehicle belonging to one of the men, causing nearby trees to catch fire, the Palestinian Wafa news agency reported.

Israel’s Channel 12 stated that snipers from Israel's Yamam "counterterrorism" unit killed the fighters, while air forces were used to destroy the location where they were hiding.

Israeli forces also seized the bodies of the Palestinians, Arabic language media reported, in a practice that has long been decried by activists and human rights experts as a punitive measure of collective punishment for the families.

Israeli defence minister Israel Katz commended the raid and the killing of the fighters, calling it a successful operation.

He said he had instructed the military to "take all necessary measures from the ground and from the air" and noted that forces would continue to be present in camps in Tulkarem, Jenin, and Nur Shams.

The operation comes amid ongoing Israeli raids in the occupied West Bank.

 Israeli forces also detained at least six Palestinians in early morning raids on Palestinians’ homes.

Three people were detained in the Jalazone refugee camp located north of Ramallah, while another was detained in the Balata refugee camp near Nablus, and an additional person in the Askar camp.

Israeli forces also raided other parts of the West Bank on Tuesday morning, including the villages of Shabtin, Jifna, and Deir Abu Mishal.

The raids come amid increased attacks on Palestinian farmers from Israeli settlers during the olive harvesting season, which started in October.

On Tuesday, settlers guarded by Israeli forces attacked the Khallet al-Nakhla area, located south of Bethlehem.

The head of the Wadi Rahal village council, Hamdi Ziada, told reporters that settlers stormed the farm of a Palestinian man while he was picking olives.

The attacks resulted in an elderly resident, named Khalil Muhammad Khalai, being injured.

The Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission stated that they have documented at least 158 attacks against olive farmers since the start of the current season.