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The Balata refugee camp, Nablus Thursday. (AP)
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| By Israel Insider staff and partners February 23, 2006 |
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Five Palestinians -- three fugitive gunmen and two who threw projectiles at Israeli forces, were killed during an IDF arrest sweep in Nablus, Thursday. Palestinian sources say IDF troops have been operating in the Balata refugee camp, a militant stronghold, for several days.
Two Israeli soldiers were lightly wounded Thursday and were evacuated for medical treatment.
The three gunmen from the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, a violent offshoot of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah Party, were killed during a shootout in their hideout.
Soldiers reached a house where the gunmen were hiding, the army said. A gun battle ensued, and the army said three gunmen were hit and two soldiers wounded. Al Aqsa later confirmed three of its members, including senior fugitive Mohammed Shtawi, had been killed.
Separately, an explosion went off in a house in the camp, the army and Palestinian witnesses said.
The IDF reported that during the operation in town, several explosive charges were hurled at the forces, and that Palestinian gunmen opened fire at troops on several occasions. The soldiers responded with fire.
Dozens of jeeps patrolled Balata and sealed off the refugee camp from the adjacent city of Nablus. Balata is a stronghold of the Al Aqsa Brigades and a hideout for terrorists and weapons dealers.
The Palestinians claimed IDF fire was directed mostly at medical teams in the area who arrived to evacuate the wounded, but the army said forces fired at Palestinians hurling Molotov cocktails at the troops.
AP contributed to this report
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