Israeli soldiers shot dead three Palestinians in a vehicle near Jenin in the West Bank on Thursday, according to media reports. The Palestinian health ministry confirmed the deaths of the men. The exact background of the incident was initially unclear. The Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that an Israeli special forces force entered the village of Jaba and opened fire on the vehicle. Pictures from the scene showed an almost completely destroyed car.
The situation in Israel and the Palestinian territories has been very tense for some time. Already on Tuesday, six Palestinians were killed in an Israeli military operation in Jenin. According to the army, the Palestinian, who is said to be responsible for a deadly attack on two Israeli brothers in Huwara at the end of February, was also among the dead. According to media reports, he was a member of Hamas' military-terrorist wing.
Since the beginning of the year, 13 Israelis and one Ukrainian woman have been killed in Palestinian attacks. In the same period, 74 Palestinians were killed - they were killed, for example, in confrontations with the Israeli army or in their own attacks. During the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which begins in less than two weeks, a further escalation of violence is feared.