UPDATE – 2 Palestinians, Israeli officer killed in West Bank shootout

UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS, CHANGES HEADLINE

JERUSALEM / RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – An Israeli soldier and two Palestinians were killed in a shootout in the northern West Bank, according to the military on Wednesday.

"Last night, an officer was killed as a result of an exchange of fire after a clash with two Palestinian gunmen near the Al-Jalama crossing, Jenin district," the Israeli army said in a statement.

The army said two Palestinian gunmen were also killed in the clash.

An earlier Israeli military statement said two Palestinian gunmen were spotted near Al-Jalama checkpoint in the northern West Bank and started procedures to arrest them.

It said the two gunmen were “neutralized” after opening fire on Israeli soldiers. Israeli media, including public broadcaster KAN, confirmed that the two Palestinians were killed.

For its part, the official Palestinian news agency Wafa, citing a local security source, said two civilians were killed by Israeli army fire at the Al-Jalama military checkpoint.

The source said the two men were from the town of Kafr Dan, west of Jenin, noting that their bodies were held by Israeli forces.

The Israeli army closed the Al-Jalama checkpoint to the movement of vehicles.

* Writing by Mahmoud Barakat