JERUSALEM (AP) — At least four Palestinian gunmen were killed in shootouts with Israeli security forces during a sweeping West Bank arrest operation cracking down on the Islamic militant group Hamas on Sunday, the Israeli military said Sunday. It was the deadliest violence between Israeli troops and Palestinian militants in the occupied West Bank in recent weeks and came amid heightened tensions following this year’s 11-day war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli military said that troops involved in arrests in the West Bank came under attack as Palestinian gunmen fired on soldiers. Recent months have seen a rise in violence in the West Bank, with more than two dozen Palestinians killed in sporadic clashes with Israeli troops and during protests. The Palestinians seek the West Bank as part of their future state and view the settlements as a major obstacle to resolving the conflict.
