RAMALLAH, West Bank -Dozens of Israeli settlers attacked a Palestinian West Bank town on Wednesday, sparking a confrontation that ended with Israeli forces killing three Palestinians, the Israeli military and Palestinian authorities said.

Three Palestinians were killed and seven wounded in the violence in Kafr Malik, northeast of Ramallah, the Palestinian health ministry said.

An Israeli military statement said dozens of Israelis set fire to property, and military and police forces were dispatched to the scene after receiving a report of ensuing violence that included an exchange of stone-throwing.

The military statement said several Palestinians opened fire and hurled rocks at the forces, who returned the fire. Five Israeli suspects were arrested. An Israeli army officer was lightly wounded.

Video footage showed at least two cars had been set ablaze. Reuters could not independently verify the video.

Hussein al-Sheikh, the deputy to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, posted on X: “The government of Israel, with its behaviour and decisions, is pushing the region to explode.”

“We call on the international community to intervene urgently to protect our Palestinian people,” he said.

Earlier on Wednesday a Palestinian boy was shot dead by the Israeli army during a raid on Al-Yamun, a West Bank town west of Jenin, the Palestinian Red Crescent said.

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(Reporting by Ali Sawafta and Howard Goller; Editing by Daniel Wallis)