Three Palestinian militants were killed by Israeli soldiers during arrest raids in the West Bank town of Jenin on Thursday, Palestinian security sources said.

One militant of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, an armed offshoot of the mainstream Fatah movement, was killed in an exchange of fire with Israeli soldiers in a overnight raid in Jenin.

Israeli soldiers also killed two militants of the Islamic Jihad (Holy War) in a village near Jenin early Thursday when they resisted arrest.

Meanwhile, 12 suspected militants were arrested in raids conducted by Israeli forces in Jenin, Nablus and Bethlehem in the West Bank, according to the Israeli army.

Source: Xinhua