Special report: Palestine-Israel Relations    

    RAMALLAH, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- Israeli soldiers killed two Islamic Jihad (Holy War) militants in the northern West Bank town of Jenin early on Monday, witnesses and hospital officials said.

    Medics at a Jenin hospital said that Ahmed Abu Zeid, 32, and Ammar Zakarneh, 20, were killed and a third was moderately injured by Israeli troops' gunfire in the village.

    Islamic Jihad movement said in a statement that three of its militants were sitting under trees in the village, and when they decided to leave the area, Israeli special forces suddenly showed up.

    Witnesses said Israeli soldiers asked the three militants to drop their guns and surrender, but they refused and traded fire with the soldiers, until two died and one wounded.

    They added as soon as the soldiers pulled back from the area, residents and rescue teams found the bodies of the two Jihad militants on the ground.

    Jihad vowed revenge for the two deaths, saying "this crime wouldn't pass easily, and the revenge is coming soon."

    Earlier, Israeli media reported that Israeli troops killed two Islamic Jihad gunmen and seriously wounded a third one during a raid on Jenin.