Three Palestinians in West Bank shot dead by Israeli forces

Israeli forces shot dead three Palestinians in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus on Tuesday.

A special forces unit shot at three Palestinians in the Al-Makhfieh neighbourhood in the city, the Palestinian health ministry confirmed. They were identified as Ashraf Mubaslat, Adham Mabrouka, and Mohammad Dakhil, according to Palestinian news agency Wafa.

Israeli police alleged that they were "armed terrorists who were... killed during clashes with the security forces".

Israeli special forces carried out the killings after storming the neighbourhood, The New Arab's Arabic language site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported.

Images that emerged of the shooting, verified by Wafa, showed a car riddled with bullet holes.

Israel's Shin Bet security service described the men as a "terrorist squad" who had allegedly carried out "shooting attacks" against Israeli forces and settlers in the occupied West Bank over the past few weeks.

There were no casualties reported in those reported attacks.

Israel captured the Old City and other parts of East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed them in a move not recognised internationally.

Since then, some 475,000 Israeli settlers live in the occupied West Bank, which is home to more than 2.8 million Palestinians.

Israeli settler violence has since become part of Palestinians' daily life under occupation. Israeli occupying forces enable their actions, which result in Palestinians casualties – injuries and fatalities – as well as damage to land and property.

Meanwhile, Israeli forces have shown"appalling disregard for human life" by using reckless and unlawful lethal force against Palestinians, according to rights groups.

Amnesty International has repeatedly urged an end to the "worrying rise in unlawful killings by Israeli forces, fostered by a culture of impunity".