Ramallah, Sep 14 (IANS): An Israeli army officer and two Palestinians were killed on Wednesday in an exchange of fire at an army checkpoint, authorities have confirmed.

An Israeli army spokesman said in a statement that troops noticed two Palestinians holding arms approaching the checkpoint near the northern West Bank city of Jenin, reports Xinhua news agency.

When the soldiers tried to arrest them, the Palestinians opened fire, killing the officer, and were then shot dead, the statement added.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Health Ministry said that two Palestinian men with unknown identities were killed by Israeli soldiers.

Local sources in Jenin said the Israeli army held the bodies of the two men and one of them was a member of the Palestinian security apparatuses.

The violence was the latest in a string of clashes between Israel and Palestine.

Israeli forces have carried out frequent nightly arrest raids in the West Bank since March, triggering clashes with Palestinians, in which dozens of Palestinians were killed or injured.