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Destroyed house in Jericho: early morning raid
Photo: Ahmad Gharabli/AFP
According to the Israeli army, "several armed attackers" were killed in a raid in the West Bank.
The Israeli military announced on Monday that members of the radical Islamic Palestinian group Hamas were to be arrested during the operation.
The Hamas fighters shot at soldiers in action.
The Palestinian side said three people were injured, one seriously.
There was no mention of dead people.
Hamas militants are accused of planning an attack on a restaurant in the Jewish settlement of Vered Jericho on January 28.
The Israeli military said two armed people entered the restaurant that day, where about 30 guests were staying.
However, since one of the weapons did not work, they fled before they could carry out the attack.
Violence between Israelis and Palestinians had increased in recent weeks.
A Palestinian attacked a synagogue in East Jerusalem in late January, killing seven people, including a child.
Ten Palestinians were killed by Israeli soldiers in a raid on a refugee camp in the West Bank.
A rocket was fired from the Gaza Strip last week, and Israel responded with an airstrike on the area.
Both the USA and international bodies such as the United Nations called on both sides to remain calm.
Since the beginning of the year alone, there have been a total of 35 Palestinian fatalities, including assassins and fighters, but also civilians and children.
In the West Bank, the most people died last year since the United Nations began counting the deaths in 2005.
Israel has been governed by a right-wing government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu since December.
His coalition includes religious fundamentalists and nationalists, among others.
fin/Reuters/AFP