Three Palestinians—including a teenager–were murdered by Israeli commandos during exceptionally intense fighting in the occupied West Bank on Monday, reported Reuters.
The conflict included a military helicopter launching a rare attack and bombing a utility vehicle.
According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, among the three dead was a 15-year-old boy. Also, one of the casualties included a self-proclaimed member of the Islamic Jihad. According to the government, 45 more were wounded in the assault.
The Israeli military reported that a fight broke out in Jenin after forces entered the flashpoint town to detain Palestinians believed to be responsible for previous assaults and came under fire from armed individuals.
Jenin and other northern West Bank settlements have been the subject of months of intensified Israeli sweeps in response to a wave of Palestinian street attacks in Israeli towns, where U.S.-sponsored peacemaking have been at a stalemate for over ten years.
An Apache helicopter fired on an open space to force the gunmen to retreat, as victims were removed from the troop vehicle, added Reuters. Although it wasn’t immediately confirmed, it appears that the helicopter also shot flares as a defense against missiles fired from the shoulder.
Israel’s use of aircraft “will push our fighters to use tools that will surprise the enemy,” an official with the Palestinian armed group Islamic Jihad said.
Hamas, another resistance group, claimed that its militants also took part in the battles.