AFP, BBC

Worldcrunch

RAMALLAH – Three Palestinians were shot dead by Israeli forces Monday after a raid in the Qalandiya West Bank refugee camp, which threatens to derail ongoing peace talks.

Clashes erupted in the camp after Israeli forces attempted to arrest a suspect, the AFP reports. Medical sources said at least 19 other people were wounded. Two of the dead victims, aged 22 and 30, were shot in the chest.

An Israeli police spokeswoman said that the border police used "riot dispersal means" against a stone-throwing crowd of 1,500 people. But she could not immediately confirm any fatalities or the use of live fire.

The mob was protesting against the arrest of a hostile terrorist activist , according to Israeli spokeswoman Luba Samri joined by the AFP.

The raid was condemned by the Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah, saying that the crime showed the urgent need for an international protection for the Palestinian people.

Israeli army spokesperson Lt Col Peter Lerner told the BBC that security forces had gone to the area to "detain a terror operative."

The incident occured just as Palestinian and Israeli negotiators were supposed to meet again for another round of peace talks in Jericho, which have reportedly been suspended.

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Israeli forces firing tear gas towards Palestinian protesters during clashes in Nablus, West Bank, on August 23. Photo: Nedal Eshtayah - APA Images/ZUMA