The Israeli military has said it killed two Palestinian fighters overnight near the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, where a large-scale raid is underway, accusing them of murdering three Israelis, AFP reports.

In a statement, the military said that Israeli forces found the two fighters barricaded in a house in the village of Burqin.

“After an exchange of fire, they were eliminated by the forces”, it said, adding one soldier was injured in the exchange.

The military identified those killed as Mohammed Nazzal and Qutaiba Shalabi, accusing them of being “affiliated with Islamic Jihad” and responsible for a deadly shooting on an Israeli bus in early January.

The Ramallah-based Palestinian health ministry said Israeli authorities had informed it of the deaths of Nazzal, 25, and Shalabi, 30.

“The bodies are being withheld” by the army, it added in a statement.