Israeli forces kill 3 Islamic Jihad militants in West Bank raid, say medics

Ramallah, West Bank: Israeli forces shot and killed three members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group on Tuesday during an army raid into Qabatiya in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry and the group said.

The armed wing of the Iranian-backed Islamic Jihad group said three of its members were killed as they confronted Israeli forces who raided Qabatiya near the city of Jenin. There was no immediate Israeli comment.

Violence has surged across the West Bank since the start of the Hamas-Israel war in Gaza more than 13 months ago. Hundreds of Palestinians - including armed fighters, stone-throwing youths, and civilian bystanders - have been killed in clashes with Israeli security forces.

The Palestinian health ministry put the number killed in the West Bank since the Gaza war erupted at 787, including 167 children. It doesn't differentiate between civilians and combatants in its death tallies.

Dozens of Israelis have been killed in Palestinian street attacks over the past year, Israeli authorities said.