RAMALLAH, West Bank, Aug. 16 - Israeli forces on a raid in the occupied West Bank exchanged fire with Palestinian gunmen on Monday, Palestinian police said, while a Palestinian official said at least four Palestinians were killed.
The incident occurred in the city of Jenin, where, according to Israeli police in a statement, special forces disguised as Palestinians came under heavy firing from a large number of attackers while on a mission to detain a militant.
The undercover forces neutralised the terrorists and returned fire, the police said.
On Voice of Palestine radio, John Jenin's governor said that at least four Palestinians were killed. Israeli police said there were no Israeli casualties.
Israel captured the Gaza Strip during a 1967 Middle East conflict and Palestinians seek the territory as well as the West Bank for a future state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The Israel Authority, set up under interim peace accords with Israel in the 1990 s, exercises limited autonomy in the West Bank, but Israeli forces are dominant in the area where they often carry out raids to detain suspected militants.