Israeli troops kill 5 Palestinians in West Bank gunbattles

By ILAN BEN ZION
Associated Press

JERUSALEM (AP) — Palestinian health officials say at least five Palestinians have been killed in shootouts with Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank. The Israeli military says it conducted a series of arrest raids against the Hamas militant group across the West Bank early Sunday. Gun battles erupted in two areas. Hamas says four of the dead were members of its military wing. It was not known if the fifth person killed, identified as a 16-year-old boy, was also a militant. The Israeli military says two soldiers were seriously injured by gunfire. The West Bank has experienced a jump in violence in recent months.