Israeli forces kill 3 Palestinians responsible for shooting UK mom, 2 daughters

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Israeli forces killed three Palestinian militants in an early morning operation on Thursday, saying the two of the men were responsible for the shooting of a mother and two daughters.

Troops carried out the operation in the city of Nablus, breaking into the apartment where the three militants had been staying. There was a brief exchange of gunfire between the two groups, but each of the Palestinians were killed.

Israeli forces say the two of the men had carried out a terror attack near a Jewish settlement in the West Bank last month. That attack killed an Israeli-U.K. dual citizen, Lucy Dee, 48, as well as two of her daughters — Maya, 20, and Rina, 15.

The mother was driving a car with the two girls when the pair of men opened fire on their vehicle.

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Israeli soldiers killed three Palestinian men in the city of Nablus on Thursday, saying they had carried out an attack on a U.K. mother and two daughters. (Gili Yaari/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Palestinians in Nablus frequently clash with Israeli forces. Crowds mourned the deaths of three militants killed in an Israeli operation on Thursday.

The terrorist group Hamas confirmed that two of the men killed Thursday had been responsible for that attack. The third man was in the apartment at the time of the raid and opened fire on Israeli troops.

Rabbi Leo Dee, Lucy's husband and father of the two deceased children, said he was comforted to hear Israeli forces had carried out the operation, but added that he received more comfort from meeting people who received his wife's organs in transplants after the shooting. Lucy had identified herself as an organ donor before her death, and multiple people received her healthy organs, Dee said.

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"That was a great comfort," Dee told local media.

The Thursday operation comes just weeks after another Palestinian terrorist rammed his car into a crowded Jerusalem market on April 24. The attacker wounded five people before attempting to reverse and cause more damage, but an armed bystander opened fire and killed him.

The Israeli city of Nablus, located in the West Bank, is a hotbed for terrorist activity. Israeli troops frequently carry out operations in the city.

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Israeli officials identified the attacker as Hatem Nejima, 39, a married father of five who lived in East Jerusalem. Officials said Nejima "deliberately hit several pedestrians, some of whom were crossing the road."

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.