Israeli security forces killed three Palestinian militants in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, a police spokesperson said.

Palestinian militant group Hamas said two of the men were its members and that all three had died in a clash with Israeli forces.

The Israeli forces shot at the militants who were planning attacks in the area of Jenin refugee camp, then also struck by air, according to Israel's police and military.

A wide scale Israeli military operation launched in January in the Jenin camp, which has long been a stronghold of militant groups including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, has left much of the area abandoned and in ruins.