Three Palestinians were killed today by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Ministry of Health announced, with Israeli authorities referring to members of Islamic Jihad.

Three men were “martyred” by Israeli forces in Jabba, a small town south of Jenin, according to a Palestinian ministry statement, which identified them as 22, 25 and 26 years old.

For his part, Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir hailed the actions of the police, who “neutralized terrible terrorists who opened fire on our defenders,” according to a statement from his press office.

Israeli police indicated that members of its special forces were accompanying soldiers who carried out an operation in Jamba to arrest people who allegedly carried out attacks against the army in this area of ​​the occupied West Bank.

Two of the three men killed belonged to the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad, police said.

“During the operation, shots were fired from the car in which the wanted persons were riding against members of the border police,” he added. Israeli forces “returned fire and killed the three men in the car.”

“A number of weapons and explosive devices were found in their vehicle,” police added.

For its part, Islamic Jihad spoke of a “heinous murder” in a statement.

The operation came two days after Israeli forces raided a refugee camp in Jenin and killed six Palestinians, members of armed groups, including the Hamas member who allegedly killed two Jewish settlers in the West Bank on February 26.

Today the Palestinian Ministry of Health announced that a 14-year-old boy, who was injured on Tuesday during this operation by the Israeli army, has succumbed to his injuries.

Concern about escalating violence

Meanwhile, the US is concerned that escalating violence in the West Bank could distract Tel Aviv and Washington from Iran’s activities, a senior US official said, a message US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin plans to convey to Israel today .

Austin delayed his arrival in Israel and the government insisted on changing the location of his meetings, as fresh protests are expected against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government’s plan to reform the judicial system.

“Secretary Austin is perfectly capable of discussing both (the West Bank and Iran),” said a senior US official who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.

But Israel’s preoccupation with the West Bank “reduces our ability to focus on the strategic threat that exists now, which is Iran’s dangerous nuclear advances and continued regional and international aggression,” he added.

Austin will meet with his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallad and Netanyahu near the Tel Aviv airport.

The killing of two Israeli brothers on February 16 sparked an attack by Jewish settlers on the village of Huara, during which one Palestinian was killed and dozens of homes and cars were set on fire, an outburst of violence that a senior Israeli army officer described as a “pogrom”.

These incidents caused international reactions and condemnations, which were joined after the statements of the Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who declared that Huara should be “erased” from the map. Smotrich later partially retracted his comment.

On Sunday, Netanyahu tried to play down the tone, pointing out that the minister’s remarks were “inappropriate”.

“Verbal assurances that more will be done to de-escalate the violence are empty if no action is taken in that direction,” commented Mick Mulroy, former US Under-Secretary of Defense for the Middle East.

Since the beginning of the year, Israeli forces have killed more than 70 Palestinians, militants and civilians, including children. In the same period, 13 Israelis and one Ukrainian woman have been killed in Palestinian attacks.