TULKARM: Israeli troops killed two Palestinians during a clash with gunmen in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, the military and medical officials said.
The two Palestinians were in a car from which shots were fired at an Israeli vehicle near the town of Tulkarm, the military said. Following a pursuit, soldiers shot both in a gunfight and recovered an assault rifle from their car, it said.
The Hamas and Islamic Jihad factions said their men were fighting soldiers at the time. The two dead Palestinians, aged 23 and 27, were not immediately claimed by any armed groups.
The West Bank, among territories where Palestinians seek statehood, has seen a surge of violence in recent months amid an almost decade-old impasse in U.S.-sponsored peacemaking efforts.