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

i24 News – Israeli security forces killed three Palestinian gunmen in the West Bank city of Nablus on Tuesday, according to Israel’s internal security agency the Shin Bet.

Preliminary reports indicate that Israeli forces stopped the men in their car to confiscate weapons before they opened fire on the Israel Border Police officers.

The Palestinian foreign ministry condemned the killings as a “field execution.”

Israel’s Defense Minister Benny Gantz responded to the incident: “I commend the Israeli army, the Shin Bet, and the Israel Defense Forces, which today eliminated the terrorist cell which has carried out shooting attacks in recent weeks.”

“I have ordered an increase in counter-terrorism activities in the face of attacks and a reinforced presence” in the West Bank, Gantz added

The Shin Bet described the men as part of a “terrorist squad” that carried out shooting attacks against Israeli soldiers and civilians in the area over the past few weeks.

No casualties were reported in those attacks.

The armed wing of the Palestinian Fatah party claimed the three men as members.

Tuesday’s incident came a month after a Palestinian gunman opened fire on Israeli army special forces in a refugee camp near Nablus, and was killed in the ensuing exchange.