Last update - 00:00 12/03/2007
Palestinians: IDF kills militant near West Bank city of Jenin
By Nir Hasson, Haaretz Correspondent and The Associated Press
Israel Defense Forces troops killed a Palestinian militant in the West Bank on Monday during a clash with gunmen, a Palestinian security official said.
The official said three Palestinian gunmen were involved in the exchange with an Israeli patrol near the village of Al-Zababteh, south of the West Bank city of Jenin.
The Israeli military said in a statement Palestinian gunmen opened fire at a force operating in the area and it returned fire. The statement said none of the troops were wounded.
Shin Bet: 3 Hamas men arrested in Feb. for bid to snatch Israelis
It was not immediately clear to which militant group the gunmen belonged.
The Shin Bet security service Monday announced the arrest of three Hamas militants in early February over repeated attempts to kidnap Israeli citizens.
The Shin Bet suspects that the men had planned to exchange their captives for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
Border Police arrested the three men on February 4 on the Bir Zeit Bridge in the West Bank. They were carrying two guns.
The gunmen were caught after trying to kidnap several Israelis from three different hitchhiking stations, at Rachelim Junction, Tapuah Junction and Ali Junction. All their would-be victims, however, refused to enter their vehicle. Following a report of suspicious activity, the Shin Bet arrested the men.
When questioned, the three confessed to planning the abductions, and added that they had also intended to kill anyone who resisted, bury the bodies in a cave for later use as bargaining chips to secure the release of Palestinian prisoners.
Also Monday, Israel Defense Forces troops rearrested a Hamas lawmaker at his home in the West Bank city of Ramallah, relatives and Hamas officials said.
The IDF confirmed Ahmed Mubarak's arrest, but gave no further details.
Mubarak is one of 36 Hamas lawmakers arrested in the West Bank since Israel launched a crackdown on the group following the capture of IDF soldier Corporal Gilad Shalit by Hamas-affiliated militants in June.
Mubarak had been detained for seven months after an earlier arrest raid, before being released February 12.