There were no immediate comments from Palestinian officials. Israeli police said the men were armed and “killed in an exchange of gunfire” in the incident before dawn on Saturday. “This is a terrorist cell that has been involved in terrorist activity against the security forces recently and was apparently on the road to another attack,” the police statement said. Tensions have risen in the past week following a series of deadly Arab attacks in Israel. Officials have warned of a possible escalation of attacks ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, a period in which violence has escalated in the past. On Tuesday, a Palestinian gunman shot and killed five people in the Israeli city of Bnei Brak before being killed by police. The shootings brought to 11 the number of people killed by Arab attackers in Israel within a week. Israeli forces shot and killed three Palestinians in clashes in the West Bank on Thursday and Friday, and a Palestinian stabbed a passenger on an Israeli bus near a Jewish settlement and was killed by another passenger.
