Israeli troops kill three Hamas gunmen in West Bank clash

Israeli troops killed three militants who opened fire on them from a car near the occupied West Bank city of Nablus on Tuesday, Israel's defence minister and army said.

Hamas claimed the three as its members and said in a statement they had died in a clash.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said on Twitter the incident took place at Mount Gerizim.

Violence in the West Bank has surged for over a year, with increased Israeli raids, Palestinian street attacks and settler rampages in Palestinian villages. Nablus and the nearby northern West Bank city of Jenin have seen especially intense clashes.