In a particularly violent escalation of the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Israeli military announced on Tuesday that it had shot and killed three Palestinian gunmen in the northern occupied West Bank.

This incident marks the latest in a series of deadly confrontations between Israeli security forces and Palestinian militants. According to Israeli authorities, the military opened fire at the Palestinian gunmen after they had shot at them from a black Skoda vehicle in the West Bank city of Nablus.

Hamas, the Islamic militant group, later claimed the three Palestinians as their members. Israeli security forces also reported that they confiscated three M-16 rifles and other military equipment from the Palestinian car.

The Israeli killing of the alleged gunmen has been described by Palestinian media as an ambush following an attempted attack on Israeli forces near a neighborhood overlooking Nablus. This neighborhood is home to the Samaritans, one of the world's oldest and smallest religious minorities.

Palestinian health officials have identified the men as Nur al-Ardah, Montaser Salama, and Saad Al-Kharraz. Al-Kharraz had previously served as the head of the Hamas student bloc at Al Najah University in Nablus.

The occupied West Bank has witnessed a surge in violence in recent months, with local armed Palestinian groups carrying out frequent shooting attacks against Israelis and Israeli military raids turning increasingly deadly. Just earlier this month, Israel's most forceful incursion into the West Bank in almost twenty years resulted in the deaths of 12 Palestinians and one Israeli soldier.

This heightened tension is further exacerbated by the far-right, ultranationalist coalition led by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which has rejected talks with the Palestinian leadership and actively sought to expand Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

Late on Monday, Palestinian militants opened fire at an Israeli settlers' bus near the town of Hawara, south of Nablus, without causing any casualties. The Israeli military responded by establishing checkpoints to search for the suspects.

A little-known armed group called the "Dawn Brigade" claimed responsibility for the shooting. The death toll in the West Bank continues to rise, with over 150 Palestinians killed this year, marking the highest death toll in over a decade.

While almost half of them were affiliated with militant groups and were killed during Israeli military raids, there have also been instances of stone-throwing youths and innocent bystanders losing their lives during protests against the incursions.

On the other side, Palestinian attacks targeting Israelis have claimed the lives of at least 25 people this year. The situation in the region remains tense and shows no signs of immediate resolution.