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Seven Israeli personnel were wounded in fighting in Jenin that
unfolded as troops raided the flashpoint town to arrest
Palestinians suspected in attacks and came under fire from
gunmen, the military said.
With U.S.-sponsored peacemaking stalled for almost a decade,
Jenin and other areas of the northern West Bank have been a
focus of months of stepped-up sweeps by Israel amid a spate of
Palestinian street rampages in its cities.
Video obtained by Reuters showed an explosion enveloping an
armoured troop transport as shots ring out. Other clips showed a
military helicopter launching a missile and releasing flares.
A military spokesperson said an Apache helicopter fired on an
open area in order to drive back gunmen as casualties were
extricated from the troop transport. There was no immediate
confirmation the helicopter also released flares - an apparent
precaution against launches of shoulder-fired missiles at it.
Israel's use of aircraft "will push our fighters to use tools
that will surprise the enemy", an official with the Palestinian
armed group Islamic Jihad said.
The Palestinian health ministry said the three dead males
included a 15-year-old. Islamic Jihad claimed one of them as its
member. Another 45 Palestinians were wounded, the ministry said.
Another such group, Hamas, said its fighters also took part in
the clashes. At least one Palestinian was detained during
Monday's raid, witnesses in Jenin said.
(Writing by Dan Williams and Nidal al-MughrabiEditing by Gareth
Jones and Ed Osmond)
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