Israeli soldiers seen during a raid in the West Bank on March 17, 2019. Photo: Flash90.

i24 News – Israeli security forces exchanged gunfire with Palestinians early Sunday morning in separate incidents in the West Bank during Israel Defense Forces (IDF) arrest operations.

Two IDF soldiers were seriously wounded in an exchange of gunfire with terrorists in the village of Burqin near Jenin, an IDF spokesman confirmed.

The wounded officer and combatant were evacuated to a hospital for medical treatment.

At least four Palestinian terrorists — members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad in the West Bank — were killed during the armed clashes.

The Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed the four deaths during the firefight with the Israeli army.

Three terrorists were killed in Beit ‘Anan in north Jerusalem — Ahmad Zahar and two other terrorists whose identities are not yet known.

Another terrorist — Osama Suba — was killed in Burqin in the Jenin district when Palestinians opened fire on IDF soldiers.

Israeli security forces surrounded a house in Burqin during the arrest operations.

The IDF said that the clashes occurred during raids to arrest Hamas terrorists planning to carry out attacks.

Several Palestinians were reportedly wounded in the clashes.

Arrests were also reported in the town of Beit Fajjar, south of Bethlehem, and in Hebron.

Clashes and two injuries were reported in Beit ‘Anan, a Palestinian village north of Jerusalem.

Earlier on Saturday night, Palestinians reportedly fired at the Jalamah checkpoint near Jenin to protest arrests taking place in the city. Israel recently reopened the Jalamah crossing after the recapture of six Palestinians who escaped from nearby Gilboa prison earlier this month.

On Friday, Mohammad Ali Khabisa, 28, was killed during clashes with IDF soldiers near Beita, south of Nablus in the West Bank.

Hamas blamed Palestinian Authority cooperation with Israel for the deaths of its members in the West Bank, calling their fatalities the result “of security coordination and normalization of PA leaders.”

The Gaza-based terrorist group called on their forces in the West Bank to “escalate the confrontations with the enemy at all points of contact.”

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett was updated on the situation in the West Bank while traveling to New York for a speech to the UN General Assembly.

“The security forces took action overnight in Judea and Samaria against Hamas terrorists who were about to carry out terrorist attacks in real-time,” Bennett said. “The soldiers and commanders in the field acted as expected; they engaged the enemy and we back them completely.”