Three Palestinians were killed by Israeli soldiers in a pre-dawn raid in a refugee camp near Jerusalem, Palestinian medical sources told Reuters.
Witnesses said Israeli armored vehicles entered the Qalandiya camp at around three o'clock in the morning and were met by stone-throwing local residents. The Israeli soldiers responded with gunfire and departed the camp before daybreak, Reuters reported.
An Israeli police spokesman said a clash between the two sides erupted when border police carrying out an arrest raid on a suspected 'militant' were confronted by Palestinians who threw firebombs and rocks at them. The incident was being investigated, spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told reporters.
It was not clear if the Israeli forces made any arrests.
Israeli troops repeatedly enter Palestinian-controlled territory to detain individuals suspected of militant activity, usually conducting the raids during darkness to minimize confrontation.
Israel and the Palestinians resumed US-sponsored peace talks after a three-year breakdown in Jerusalem last month, though neither side has expressed much optimism for a major breakthrough, Reuters reported.
Violence in the West Bank has worsened since the beginning of 2013. Israeli forces have killed 13 Palestinians there this year, most of them in clashes, compared with three killed in the same period in 2012, according to United Nations figures.
Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Aug-26/228664-israelis-kill-palestinian-in-refugee-camp-medics.ashx#ixzz2d3VO1KL9
(The Daily Star :: Lebanon News :: http://www.dailystar.com.lb)
