Israel kills 2 Palestinian gunmen in new West Bank violence

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military says troops killed two Palestinian gunmen who fired on them in the occupied West Bank. It’s the latest in near-daily violence in the region. Wednesday’s shooting came as tensions are at a fever pitch, following a series of Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip that killed three senior Islamic Jihad militants and 10 others, including women and children, the day before. Palestinian militants have pledged to retaliate and Israel says it’s prepared for a further escalation of hostilities. The army says the gunmen opened fire at troops in the Palestinian town of Qabatiya in northern West Bank. Troops returned fire, killing the two men, and confiscated their firearms.