Tel Aviv, 12 March 2023 (dpa/MIA) - Three armed Palestinians were shot and killed by Israeli soldiers during an exchange of fire in the West Bank, according to the military.

The men opened fire overnight toward the soldiers at a military post west of the city of Nablus, the Israeli army said in a statement early on Sunday.

The Israeli forces then "responded with live fire," it said.

An army spokesman confirmed the three men were killed in the incident.

A fourth armed person surrendered and has been arrested, according to the statement. The soldiers seized three rifles, a pistol and ammunition from the attackers.

Tensions between Israelis and Palestinians have been running high.

Israel took over the West Bank and East Jerusalem in 1967. Today, more than 600,000 Israeli settlers live there. The Palestinians claim the territories for a future independent state of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Since the beginning of the year, 13 Israelis and one Ukrainian woman have been killed in Palestinian attacks. In the same period, 81 Palestinians have died - killed in confrontations with the Israeli army, or in the course of carrying out attacks of their own.